Dragon's child
by nahesa
Summary: When a madman with an obsession for dragons targets Natsu, life will never bee the same for everyone. (Rated T for mentions of violence and dark themes)
1. Chapter 1

**So, it has been some time since I've posted anything , I really hope you'll enjoy this one, I mose certainly did up until this point. Have fun reading :-)**

When you were not raised by a human, you don´t think like one. This was a fact, most of the guild often forgot when dealing with dragon slayers. They had abilities, very different from other humans, for example their keen hearing and sense of smell. In most cases, those were of great use during a fight, but on some occasions, it could also become a great liability, especially when everyone was counting on them working in their favor. It was of great importance to know if they were about to be ambushed, or if offered food was poisoned. Fairy Tail´s very own dragon slayers had indeed saved their guild members on more then just one occasion from some very unfortunate experiences thanks to those very abilities. It was only natural that some people would figure this out eventually and use it against them.

The first tine this happened was on a job, Team Natsu was working on in Hargeon. Natsu and the others had just recovered from their injuries and after some discussion they decided to take a well paying job, so everyone, especially Lucy, would be able to pay their rent this month. The task had been a simple one: Guard the ship of a trading company, specializing in exotic and valuable spices, until it was ready for departure. Natsu really hadn´t liked this job the moment they took it. To get to Hargeon, they had to ride in a carridge, which was, for a dragon slayer like him, pure torture. Then, they had to guard this stupid cargo vessel that was full of things that had a very strong smell which messed up his very keen sense of smell completely. There were quite a lot of people around, so it was also very noisy, so much so, that Natsu´s ears were almost hurting. Right when he was about to inform Erza about this, it happened. First, it just seemed like nothing more, then a cloud passing by, but the next moment, the entire group, consisting of Natsu, Erza, Grey and Lucy, lay on the floor, unconscious.

A hooded figure approached the, now motionless, group of wizards, using a magic circle that would teleport them to a, yet, unknown location. When the light faded, there was nothing more left, then an empty space, where there had been four mages standing only a minute ago. The whole process was over so fast and was carried out so quickly, no one, not even the ships owners, who only stood a few meters away, noticed anything out of the ordinary.

When she came to, there was only darkness. Erza wasn´t sure what had happened, only that it

wasn´t good at all."Hey everyone" she whispered, "are you there? Can you hear me?". She got only silence in return. After feeling around herself for a bit, she managed to find something. On closer inspection, it felt like a shoe. A moment later, she was sure that there was a person attached to it. Erza started pulling on their leg and poking him or her multiple times, in hopes to wake them up. Her efforts payed off after a short while, when she was rewarded with a low groan, presumably from Grey, whom she distinguished from his voice and the fact that his skin was not as scorching hot as Natsu´s was. "Grey? Grey, are you alright? Do you know, what happened? "

"E-Erza?" She heard his voice and shifting of clothes in the dark right next to her. "Where are we?"

"I don't know, the last thing I remember was the job we did, and then nothing." was the reply, the ice mage got from the scarlet haired knight, followed by a question. "Do you know, if the others are here as well?"

For a few moments, more rustling could be heard, while Grey searched his surroundings for any other members of the group, then the movement stopped. "I found someone, I think it´s Lucy"

Erza sighed in relief "well, can you try waking her? The sooner we find out, what´s going on here, the better. I really don´t want to spend any more time here then necessary. We don´t know how long it´s been now and the master might get worried if we don´t return on time."

Grey hummed in agreement and then, She heard him calling out to the unconscious girl next to him, until there was the sound of another body moving around with them and a sleepy voice that was inquiring about, what had happened to them.

"Well," Grey said, "that´s what we were hoping you could tell us, because Erza and I have no idea about it. The only thing we DO know is that we were doing our job and then, ended up here somehow." there was a moment of silence, and then

"Oh, Erza is here too? That´s good."

"Yes, I am here as well Lucy, now can you tell us if there is anything, you remember?"

"Hm, let me think for a moment… Actually, yes there was something strange, I remember Natsu being somewhat uneasy and I think he wanted to speak to you Erza, because the last thing I remember was him turning in your direction, but it could also just have been a coincidence I guess…" after this, a few moments of contemplative silence hung in the air.

"Speaking of that flame for brains, it really isn´t like him, to get ambushed like that, right? And where is he anyways?" Everyone started feeling around for a bit, until they reached the walls of the, rather small, room they were confined in. They were made from some sort of stone. The fact that none of them were apparently blindfolded or bound in any way, worried Erza, because this meant there was something or someone else that would be keeping them from escaping. She had a suspicion on this matter however and decided, to test her hypothesis. She reached out and tried summoning one of her magic weapons. Nothing happened. Sighing, she turned to were she could hear the others talking quietly among themselves. "Natsu seems not to be here, but I´m confident he can take care of himself. Getting out of here and figuring this whole thing out should be our top priority right now. I think this room is made from some sort of magic canceling rock or anything else alike, I can´t use my magic here. Have any of you tried yet?" The other two could be heard now, muttering their respective spells. After nothing happened, they had their answer.

"But Erza, do you really think we can leave Natsu to his own devices? I mean, we have no idea what's going on, and I don't want him getting hurt."

"Don´t worry Lucy, I've known Natsu for quite some time now, and I´m sure he´ll bee fine. Besides, even if we wanted to help him or at least find out, where we are, we need to figure out how to get out ourselves and what´s going on, otherwise we wouldn't be able to help, even if we found him."

"Besides," Grey interjected "I´m pretty sure, he´s making them regret taking us, as we speak."

A shaky laugh could be heard from the blond "I guess you´re right, but I´m still worried, he really didn't seem like himself earlier"

Now Erza started to think about the whole situation. She hadn't noticed anything wrong with their Salamander during this mission, except the usual motion sickness of course. But now that she was thinking about it more closely, she remembered him being a little more quiet, and irritated then usually. She was impressed with Lucy for noticing this right away, since she´d known him for so long, she should have seen it as well. "But what could have been wrong with… Damn it! Why didn't I think of this earlier!"

The other two were startled at this, for Titania really unusual, outburst. "Ahhm, Erza, what´'s wrong?" asked Grey, who was a bit lost right now. He really hadn't noticed anything off about his rival at all. And now, Erza seemed to have figured out the problem at hand, without having to think about it for too long.

"I always forget about that! Do you know, why we are rarely ambushed when we are on a mission?" The other two shook their head. "It's because of his sense of smell! And I bet the reason he seemed off were all those foreign spices we had to guard. I bet, they messed up his nose completely."

After a few moments of shocked silence Grey´s only response was: "Well damn, I never thought about that."

"Well," Lucy said, "It´s a good thing Happy decided to go on another mission with Wendy and Carla, he'd be flipping out completely right about now."

At about the same time, Natsu awoke. From the lack of noise around him and the fact that he wasn't able to smell those awful spices anymore, he concluded that he was far away from the place he last remembered being and that the others were not in the same room with him. He felt oddly cold, and when he tried reaching out to his flames, they wouldn't respond at all. "Great" he muttered. "First this stupid assignment and now this crap?" The only positive thing he could see about this, was that he was neither blindfolded, gagged or bound, so he could at least move around a bit. Suddenly, he heard footsteps coming closer to the room he was in. _Well, at least I know now, where the door is. _He thought while the feet outside came closer and closer and then stopped completely. Natsu could hear breathing and something that was most certainly a key sliding into the lock of the door separating him and presumably his captor from each other. A moment later, the door slowly opened and the first thing he noticed was a gun pointed at his head. Not one of those cheap magic guns you could basically just shrug of with enough magic energy after you were hit, but by the smell of it, a real one with lead bullets, that would probably pierce even his skin (which was more resistant then the average humans already).

The one holding it was a tall and broad shouldered man, at least one foot taller than Natsu himself was. He had straight black hair that was tied into a ponytail that went all the way to the floor, yellow eyes and almost white skin. He wore black trousers, knee high brown leather boots combined with a white dress-shirt a vest and a tie. He was all in all completely strange to look at.

"Who are you and what do you want from me?" Natsu had asked this before the man even had the chance to walk into the room completely. But before he even had closed his mouth again, his captor had backhanded him across the face hard and he was back on the ground faster then he could think.

"How dare you speak in my presence without permission you lowly animal!" The man growled with a dark and deep voice that absolutely fit his size and muscular build. "I'm only gonna tell you this once, and you better listen closely and without speaking or you will regret it." The pink haired dragon slayer, who was now sitting on the floor, wiping blood from his now split lip just glared daggers at the giant in front of him. "My name is Ivan and I am the one who is going to own you. I always wanted a dragon, but now that they have gone extinct, I will have to make due with the next best option. Since you were raised by one and learned its magic, you should at least be able to entertain me for a little while. I also heard your kind is quite durable, so I won't have to treat you to delicately if you disobey me, remember that. I had to go through a lot of trouble to obtain you, and I will not let you escape ever again. Getting those idiot merchants to hire the strongest team of Fiores top guild wasn´t easy you know? But it was perfect! Your keen sense of smell was completely useless this close to so many strong odors and since it is always quite noisy at the port, you wouldn't have been able to hear me, no matter how good your ears are, so you see, there was really nothing you could have done to avoid me!"

After Ivan was done with his little speech, there were a million question running through Natsu's head, but he only dared to voice one oft them. He had gotten a pretty good idea of how strong this Ivan guy was physically. Without his flames he wouldn't stand a chance against him. And there was still the gun that had been trained on his head the whole time Ivan´s little speech had lasted. "What have you done with my friends you bastard?!"

A Few seconds of silence followed, then…

BANG

Natsu felt a burning pain in his left shoulder. He screamed. It was different from any kind of pain he had ever felt before. It was concentrated on his shoulder alright, but he still felt it throughout his entire left side. It took him a moment to realize he had actually been shot. The dragon slayer put a hand on the wound reflexively and felt it being covered in blood immediately. A second later, he felt the hard tip of a boot burying itself into his stomach, lifting him into the air and then smashing him into a wall with so much force, he felt the air rush of his lungs and one of his ribs crack from the impact. When the boot was removed from his stomach, Natsu sank to the floor, taking fast and shallow breaths, whimpering slightly, as a handful of his rose colored hair was gripped harshly and his had was yanked from the floor, until he was hanging completely in the air, only held up by the hand now gripping his entire face.

"Haven't I warned you not to speak without permission you useless, disobedient piece of shit?" Ivan snarled. Then, Natsu was dropped back onto the now bloodstained floor. "But it´s only fair I told you, so listen. They Are Dead. Since they were of no use to me, I killed them right on the spot."

With those words, Ivan could see the life drain out of the young dragons eyes. Nothing he had done to him had been as effective as this. Even if the young man in front of him was hurt, bleeding and should by all means be unconscious by now, he was just lieing on the dark, could floor, completely motionless, eyes starring into nothingness, utterly shocked at what he had heard just then. He decided lo leave his new pet to contemplate his situation for a bit and to go check on the other prisoners. He still hadn't decided what to do with the other three yet. That guild they were from, Fairy Tail, had enough enemies he could sell them to. On the other hand it would be funny to keep them and play with a little bit. He could sell them anytime he wanted if he got board, so he had all the time in the world, he was certain no one would figure out who he was and where he´d taken four of Fiores most famous wizards or what had even happened to them.

After reaching the staircase that lead to the dungeons upper level, he took a moment to just enjoy the fact that he'd fulfilled his greatest dream. He had a dragon all to himself now. That child downstairs maybe didn't look the part yet, but he would change that soon. He´d spent most of his life researching dragons and their famous human children and after years and years of searching, he'd finally been able to uncover an ancient spell that would cause the dragon particles in those children's blood to take over completely and irreversibly. But he had to wait for a little bit longer until he could start. This boy still held to much magic energy, even if he was currently unable to use it. It was important to first drain his magic a little bit more, so he wouldn't be able to resist the transformation. From what Ivan had observed in the boy, he had a fiery temper, no regard for authorities and was allover acting more dragon then human. He already had sharp teeth and from all the dragon slayers he had observed, the sharpest senses. This was also the reason it had been so important to have had a solid plan to capture him. Without one, the whole project would have certainly failed or resulted in injury to himself.

When he reached the other cell, he took a moment to collect himself. When he looked down at his dress-shirt, he noticed some quite obvious bloodstains on it. _Well, let the fun begin. _He thought to himself as he unlocked and pushed open the door in front of him.

The three mages in front of him looked up startled when he opened the door, pointing his gun at them. He smirked. They were just ordinary humans and without access to their magic, they hadn't even noticed him approaching. Nothing compared to his soon-to-bee very own dragon.

The red haired women got herself under control a little bit faster then the others. "Who are you and what have you done with our friend?"

A Low and dark chuckle made its way out of his throat "You know women, he asked the exact same thing before he had to learn were his place is." She then seemed to notice the blood on his shirt. The others to seemed to have noticed it as well, if their sharp intakes of breath were anything to go by. "Well, I´m going to tell you, what I told him: You only speak, when you´re allowed to do so, otherwise you will get punished severely. Don't try to escape, you wouldn't be able to anyways. You belong to me now and will obey every command I give you, do I have made myself clear?"

The three of them shared a look, apparently contemplating their next course of action, then they nodded. Suddenly the blond women raised a slightly shaking hand.

"You may speak."

"Thank you. I just wanted to ask where our friend is and if he is alright. Can we maybe see him or speak to him?"

Ivan just looked at her for a few seconds. Even while she was obviously afraid of him, as well as his trusty gun, she'd managed to keep her voice steady. He decided to reward her with an answer. "Since you aren't going to escape, I can tell you that your little dragon child is not to far away, he's actually in the same building, just a floor below you. The magic canceling stone down there is a lot stronger the it is here, so he took quite some time to wake up. Now for his well being, He decided to disobey me, so I had to punish him a little bit, but I didn't kill him, after all, he's the reason all of you are here now. I need him alive, so you don't need to worry. And for your last question: I can not allow you, under any circumstances, to see him in person or to speak with him. But since you asked so nicely, I can show him to you.

_This was going to be so good. _He took one step back and pulled out a vial of water from his pocket. "You see, my magic is mist, using water, I can manipulate space and light, this is also the method I used to transport you to this place. I will now create a one way mirror, that will stay active even after I have left, so you can watch him." He even managed to say this with a convincing smile. _Maybe I should have become a professional actor…_

He opened the vial and a thin cloud of mist expanded out of it, it was about two by two feet and showed a room pretty similar to the one they were standing in right now. The figure in the room was curled up in a corner and still clutching at his shoulder that still leaked crimson blood. The was more on the floor as well, he seemed to have dragged himself from the cells center into the corner, leaving quite an impressive blood trail behind. He was visibly taking to fast and to shallow breaths and he still had that blank look in his eyes, the only difference now were the silent tears that were running down his face, seemingly without him noticing, or caring, at all.

The three mages in the room in front of him were speechless. The red head was glaring pure death at him, while the blond started weeping for her friend. The dark haired young man, who had been rather quiet until now glared at him and whispered in a deathly calm voice "What have you done to our comrade, our friend you damn psycho?!"

"If you don´t want to experience the same kind of pain, you´d better shut your mouth and pray for my mercy boy" Ivan was now advancing on the, now shirtless, mage in front of him. The other two were watching this in horror.

"Well, if you disobey me again, I will make sure you will suffer more then you could ever think possible, am I understood? I have no practical use for the three of you, so behave, I can dispose of you anytime I want, always remember that." With that, Ivan turned around and was about to leave and close the door, when he noticed that now the red haired mage had raised her hand and was openly looking at him with eyes that just shone with the will to kill him. "What now?"

"You said we're disposable, but what about Natsu? What is it you plan on doing with him?"

"Oh, I´m so glad you asked! He of course is going to be my pet. I have always wanted a true dragon, and now, I've finally caught myself the strongest one alive right now. And all of that was possible because you idiots were dumb enough to fall right into the trap I had set for him. Next time you have something as valuable as a dragon, take better care not to lose it."

"I don't understand, he may be a dragon slayer, but he's still human!"

"You people are so ignorant, have you never thought about what dragon slayer magic is, or why only those can truly master it who have been raised by a real dragon? Have you never noticed he's more then just a lowly human?" He now had the undivided attention of the entire room." Let me explain a few things. All dragon slayers are actually part dragon. Not from birth, but to be able to master dragon slayer magic, one must take dragon particles into his body and leave his humanity behind. Only a dragon in body and spirit can learn how to fight and live like one. Their bodies take one some of a dragon's characteristics and when in dragon force, those particles I mentioned go partly out of control, enhancing those dragon-like qualities even more. You see, dear Natsu will become a real dragon, because I have found a sure method to enhance the dragon particles strength to a point, where they will irreversibly take over the body and transform the slayer into a true dragon for the rest of their, as dragon, really long life. And if you´ll excuse me now, I have got quite a few things to prepare."

"Wait, are you aware that this will not work? The dragons have developed antibodies against the dragon particles, so they don't go out of control." This time, it had been the boy who spoke.

"Trust me, I´m quite aware of that. This is also the reason I broke his spirit and am draining him of magic as we speak. The weaker he is in body and spirit, the weaker those antibodies will get and he WILL transform."

"But you´ll kill him, and what do you mean, you´broke his spirit already´?

"Don´t be stupid! Dragons are a whole lot stronger then us puny humans, he won´t die from some magic draining and minor injures you stupid boy! And for the other question, After showing him how gruesome I can get without breaking a sweat, I told him I had killed each one of you on the spot the moment I caught you. And let me tell you, the look on his face was priceless."

With this last piece of information, Ivan left the room, closed and locked the door, turned and walked down the dark hallway, all while laughing quietly. The look on those Idiots faces just had been so enjoyable, he couldn't help himself.

A few more staircases further up he opened another door that led into a huge cathedral-like room. This place had magic symbols engraved and drawn all over it and in the middle of it all were a pair of iron shackles bolted to the floor. He took out some notes as well as red ink and a coal black feather and continued drawing more and more complicated symbols and lines, adding further and further to the incantations that were decorating the entire room already. It wouldn't bee long now, only a few more days and he'd finally have, what he'd desired for as long as he could remember.

**So. this was part one. Please leve a rewiew.**

**See you guys next time**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello everyone. Thanks for all your rewiews and support, it really meant a lot to me. I hope, you will enjoy this chapter as well.**

**Have fun ;-)**

It had been at least a whole day since they had last seen Igor. The only other thing keeping them company was the one way mirror showing Natsu, who hadn't moved at all this whole time. The only thing reassuring them he was still alive was the slight rise and fall of his chest as he was breathing irregularly. Erza and the others had soon discovered, that there really was nothing they could use fore anything in their cell. They also had no way of communicating at all with their suffering friend. It was killing all three of them to see the, usually very lively, dragon slayer as broken and unresponsive as right now.

"I can't stand this!" suddenly Grey leapt to his feet and thrust his fist into the wall. "How are we supposed to get out of here, let alone get flame-brain out as well. The way he looks, he won't try anything himself, not that I blame him or anything, but still, this really isn't like him at all!"

"Calm down Grey!" Erza repreminded him "What would you do, if you were in his place right now. He's in pain, confused and can't reach his magic at all. Furthermore, he believes his family to be dead! If I were in his place, I'd probably behave the exact same way."

"Well, It's his fault for believing that creep in the first place! As if we'd let ourselves be defeated by scum like him! Damn it!" This statement was followed up by another punch to the wall.

Just as Erza was about to retaliate, they were interrupted by the rooms third occupant. "Stop it, both of you!" The blond had tears streaking down her face "How can you fight in a situation like this! We need to figure out how to escape and help Natsu! I'm so worried about him, I mean, just take a look at him, he's barely moved for over 12 hours, he's still bleeding and he looks like he is just about to keel over… We really need to get him out of there or at least let him know somehow we are still alive." Grey and Erza looked at Lucy in shock for a few seconds, before looking away in shame.

"Sorry" Grey mumbled quietly. He hadn't meant to get this upset, but he couldn't help it. The same time he had apologized, Erza did so as well. She really was ashamed of herself. How dare she start a fight with her comrade while one of their family members was in such grave danger? "I'm so sorry Lucy, you may hit me now."

"That really won't be necessary Erza." the blond replied with both of her hands raised in a calming manner. "But still, I'm really concerned about what Igor said about this whole turning-Natsu-into-a-dragon business. Do you guys really think he'd be able to do that? I mean, he seemed really convinced he can pull it of and all, but still, this really seems a bit extreme, don't you think? And how did he know about those antibodies the dragons produced to protect their children from that exact thing happening over time, I just think this whole situation isn't making a lot of sense right now…"

"You are right, It is indeed strange he knows about this detail. As far as I know, only those who were present during the dragons departure know about this. I guess someone could have accidentally leaked it to someone outside of that group, but still, it is unsettling to know, that secrets like those aren't so secret after all. When we get back, I will have a serious conversation with master on the topic. And for your other Question, I think Igor's plan, as crazy and despicable as it is, will work if executed correctly. At least the way he explained it to us yesterday made kinda sense, so I would advise you to be prepared for what is to come."

Grey nodded in agreement. "Erza's right, I was wondering myself where he'd gotten hold of those pieces of information. He pointed out he'd been watching Natsu for quite some time already, maybe it has something to do with that." Just when he was about to continue speaking, they saw how the door to Natsu's cell was suddenly ripped open.

He was, there was really no other word for it, happy. Due to his prisoners behaving as they should and the fact, he'd been able to work on his magic circle for twelve hours straight without interruption, he had finished it. The only things left for him to do before the ceremony were to double check everything and then eat and sleep. He needed to be in top condition, otherwise, the spell could fail and kill his new pet. Now, a lot of people may think of him as cruel, and maybe they were right, but still, he would not let that dragon of his die under any circumstances. It was after all, his greatest wish. And if he was honest with himself, after spending so much time watching this particular young dragon, he had grown quite fond of him. At least to a point, where he intended to keep him, and no one else. Even if there were other dragon slayers, he wouldn't want any of them, no, it HAD to be this one.

When Igor finished double checking every line, circle and letter in his incantation, what took quite a while due to the sheer size of that thing, and pleasantly coming up with only one little spelling error, which was corrected in a matter of seconds, he decided to go and visit his little dragon and tell him and his friends the good news. It wouldn't be long now, soon he would have fulfilled his lifelong dream. His own dragon. Ever since he'd been a child, he had dreamt about riding one, and now, it would finally become a reality.

After putting all his supplies away, he went downstairs until he reached the dragon slayers cell. Taking a deep breath to quell his excitement, he paused for a split second. Then, he ripped the door open. At first sight, the room seemed empty. For a moment, he panicked, thinking his new plaything had escaped, but then he spotted a small figure in the right back corner, covered in blood and still with that dead and defeated look on his face.

"Hey there pet" for his greeting, he received no answer or recognition at all. Well now, he couldn't have that now, could he? Crouching down in front of the pink haired teen, he took a handful of Natsu's hair and forced him, to look him in the eye. "When I greet you, I expect you to return it, Understood?" when Natsu still didn't respond, Igor tightened his grip on the boys hair and then proceeded to smash his charges head repeatedly into the cells brick wall, until the young mage finally screamed in pain. "Do I have your attention now?" Huge empty eyes were staring back at him, as his pet nodded. "Good, I came here to tell you, that your days as a human will be over in merely a few hours my little dragon. The only thing left is to activate the spell and then, my wish will be fulfilled and you will finally be free from the misery that is called being human."

Laughing, he let go of those salmon strands of hair and left the now not only devastated but also completely frightened dragon slayer to himself.

After Igor had left, Natsu was all alone in the dark again, but now he was not only plagued with memories of his lost family members and visions of their brutally massacred bodies, but with the fear of losing the last part of his soul, the part, that was still human, to this madman.

He was so cold. His shoulder burned like it had been stabbed with one of Grey's icicles and his head felt as if Erza just had decided to give him a very tight hug against her armor. Everything just hurt, breathing was becoming more difficult with each hour that passed by. Natsu wasn't sure, if this feeling came from the utter helplessness he was feeling, or from his broken ribs, both hurt terribly, so he didn't care either way. He had other matters on his mind. He would never see his family again. This simple fact tore through his entire being. It felt as if he just swallowed a bucked of acid. It burned to a point, where there were tears streaming down his face. He still couldn't believe that Erza, Grey and Lucy all had been killed. They died just because some madman had decided to kidnap him and they had just been in the way. It basically was his fault. And now, even the Humanity he had left after this would be taken from him in a few hours. He would never see the guild again, Gramps, Lisanna and Wendy, Happy and all the others. They probably would start searching for them really soon, but it would be in vain. If they were lucky, they'd find the bodies of their fallen friends, but him? He had a feeling, once Igor had what he wanted, He'd never get free again. He would spent his life being tortured by this man, until he'd be killed when Igor got bored or if he killed himself. There was really no point for him to care about life itself anymore, after all he'd lost already and would soon lose.

"I'm so sorry everyone, I'll miss you so much" he whispered, as he curled up and waited for Igor to show up again. If he had to spend his life in agony, he could at least try to detach himself from it, not caring about anything or anyone, least at all himself.

"Goodbye Fairy Tail, my one and only family." with those words he fell asleep, silently waiting for what was to come.

Erza and the others watched in horror, as Igor smashed Natsu's head into the wall again and again, until he got a reaction from his prisoner. Even more so when they heard that the magic circle was complete.

"Fuck! We need to do something! He can't last much longer and if we don't hurry, there won't be anyone left for us to save!"

"Calm down Grey, we need to get any information we can, so please be quiet." Grey nodded. Erza was right, panicking wouldn't fix anything right now.

A few minutes later what they had seen left them devastated. Seeing their friend completely giving up and then apologizing and saying his farewells to the guild was just to much. At the sight before them, Erza had to turn away, tars in her eyes. Lucy was openly crying and even Grey had to wipe away a few tears.

"W-What do we do now? If we don't h-urry, Natsu is going to-…"

"We need to get out of here, Lucy is right, if we don't hurry, we will loose Natsu forever, Erza, do you have any ideas about how we could get out of here?"

"Well, since we have already searched the cell completely and are still not able to use out magic, I only see one way for us to escape. We need to get Igor or someone else to open the door from the outside for us."

"Are you crazy? Have you forgotten the gun that nut-job is carrying around?"

"No, I haven't Grey. We need to ambush him as soon as he comes through the door. And we need to pull this of, before he sets his plan into motion. That will be the most difficult part. I think he won't fall for the 'Help-someone-got-sick-routine', so the only thing we really can do right now is take positions, wait and pray he actually decides to come down here again."

"Are you serious!? Basically your plan is to sit around and wait?"

"Yes Grey, as long as you don't come up with a better plan, I think, this will be our best chance!"

"Alright, fine." Grey and the others now fell silent and got to their positions. Lucy would act as a decoy, while Grey and Erza stood on each side of the door, pressed to the walls in an attempt to hide as good as possible from their captor. They all had only one thought on their mind : _PLEASE LET THIS WORK; COME ON IGOR; GET DOWN HERE AL´READY! _

And so they waited…

Back at Fairy Tail, master Makarov was worried. The day before, he had received word that team Natsu had gone missing. Until now, he had decided to wait and give the four of them time to resolve the matter on their own, after all they were strong enough to get themselves out of a bind or two. Right now though, he started to regret that decision. There hadn't been any word from them since their disappearance and he was starting to get a really bad feeling about all of this. It really wasn't like Erza to fail to check in after something like this and the master started so suspect that there was something bad happening somewhere out there and that his children were right in the middle of it again.

**Yay, second chapter done! :-)**

**Please let me know what you think, this is my first attempt at a multi-chapter story.**

**I promise there will be a next chapter coming and I really hope you enjoyed reading this story so far. See you next time and happy Easter to everyone !**


	3. Chapter 3

**So then, It's been a while since the last chapter. Thank you for reading and reviewing so far. Now then, here's chapter 3.**

They had been standing and waiting in their respective positions for hours. An eerie silence hung in the air. Everyone was waiting for something to happen, the tension was almost tangible inside the small prison cell containing the three Fairy Tail mages.

Lucy could feel her whole body start to shake. Her muscles had started cramping up a while ago. All this standing still and waiting was really starting to take a toll on her. She was tired and cold as well. The slight dampness in the air around her and the stone floor were doing a great job of sucking the warmth right out of her body. Combined with the constant draining of her magic, it felt like a very chilly version of hell. She couldn't even begin to imagine how bad Natsu must be feeling.

By the looks of it, her companions weren't fairing much better.

Erza was standing on one side of the door, pressed against the wall in case their captor would return. It would give her the perfect opportunity to jump him. But she had started to look rather tired and cold herself by now. Gray, who was in a similar position as Erza, but on the other side on the door, seemed just tired. Since he was used to the cold a lot more than the women with him, it affected him far less, or at least not to a point were he was shivering yet.

The cloud of mist, that still hung in the air and continued to show them their salmon haired friend, hadn't done anything more then add to their worries. They still could see Natsu who still hadn't moved much since Igor had last left. He didn't even seem to have the energy to shiver. The only good what they could see was the fact that the bleeding to his injuries seemed to have slowed down to a point were it wasn't life threatening anymore. But even if this was a positive development, the dead and empty look still contained in the salamanders dark eyes was far more worryingly then any amount of blood could ever be.

"H-hey guys,…" Erza and Gray turned to look at her. "I don't know how long I can continue sitting here like this, I'm freezing and my muscles started hurting hours ago. I know I sound like a spoiled little kid right now, but don't you two feel the same right now? We wouldn't be able to subdue Igor anyways if we're feeling like this, right?" She turned her pleading brown eyes to her comrades. She really wouldn't be able to sit on the floor like this for much longer.

The other two looked at her. "Moving now could be just as fatal for the plan, but I see your point, we should take a break."

Gratefully, Lucy looked at Erza. "Thank you, I really can't feel my legs anymore."

Now, Gray started moving as well. "We just need to keep an ear out for any noises and maybe start thinking about a backup plan. We've been standing here for hours now, and nothing happened, we need to be prepared in case that monster doesn't show his face around here again."

"I agree, this has lead us nowhere so far. "

Lucy nodded. "You two are right, we need a new plan."

Just as she was saying this, something happened. They could see light entering Natsu's cell. Then, the root of their problems stepped into the room and walked to where the young dragon-slayer was still lying on the floor. Without saying anything, he picked up Natsu by his neck and looked at him for a moment, then, he spoke.

"Well then pet, I guess it's time now, eh?"

Natsu blinked tiredly and looked up into Igor's face, who started to laugh.

"Don't look so surprised, I told you earlier it wouldn't be long now, didn't I? Now then, let us go. It's time to free you from you human form once and for all!"

They could see Igor exiting the room, still dragging their friend with him. When the door closed, the mist only showed them en empty cell, before evaporating. Just now, they had lost their last means of contact to Natsu.

For a moment, they just stared at each other in shock. They had missed their chance to do anything for him. Everything that would happen from now on was completely out of their hands if they didn't manage to get out this instant. Then, the moment was over. Lucy sunk down to her knees, tears in her eyes. Gray just stood there with clenched fists, still staring at the spot that had shown his rival only a mere few seconds ago. Without any kind of warning, Erza turned around and punched the wall with all the strength she had left.

"Damn it!"

"Wh-what d-do we do n-now?" Lucy sobbed. She could still see Natsu disappearing, dragged out of their sight by this man. But what had shocked her most about the whole thing wasn't Igor, or the fact, that their plan had completely failed. It was the fact that the normally so lively and headstrong dragon-slayer hadn't even tried to fight anymore. He'd seemed as if he had accepted what was about to happen to him, or at least stopped caring about it. She just couldn't help to cry harder at this thought.

Even Gray and Erza had tears in their eyes. If they were tears of rage or those shed out of sadness, she couldn't tell.

"We need to do something, NOW!" Gray shouted.

""Well, if you have a plan, I'm all ears! But since neither, Lucy, you or I can use our magic at all, I don't see, what we could accomplish right now!"

"You know very well, I don't Erza! But that doesn't change the fact, that we're going to loose him if we don't hurry!"

Erza took a deep breath to calm herself. "I know, and I wish there was anything we could do right now, but I fear there isn't. We could try to brake the door, but when I checked it earlier, Inoticed that this won't be possible since it's sealed shut with magic from the outside."

Gray nodded. Then he looked at Lucy, who was still crying on the floor. "Hey now, calm down, I'm sure we'll find a way to help that idiot, don't worry!" She was very grateful for his attempt on cheering her up, but still, it didn't work.

"H-have you s-een him just now? H-e didn't even try to fight any-anymore,-" another sob escaped her. There was really nothing anyone could say, that could help her right now. Gray seemed to notice this as well. The next thing Lucy knew was that she was being embraced by a pair of cool and muscular arms and of a hand that was stroking her hair lightly.

"Don't worry, we'll figure something out, alright?" she didn't reply. She just tried to find some sort of comfort from his words and actions.

He wasn't exactly sure what was happening right now. One moment he was on the floor inside his cell, cold and in pain, the next, he was picked up and dragged away. Now, mere minutes away from the end if his life as a human being.

Suddenly, his neck was released and he dropped to the floor like a stone. Then, he could feel something cold being placed on his wrist and in his confused, half conscious state, it took him a moment to realize, he was being shackled to the floor. He took a look around and when he did, couldn't help but to be amazed about what he was seeing. The room he was in was huge! He was sure, the entire guild hall would fit in here. Every inch of the wall and floor was covered in ancient looking writing and magic circles.

In a very creepy way, was this place one of the most beautiful things the dragon-slayer had ever seen. For a second, he even managed to forget all the fear, pain and heartache he was feeling.

"Like what you're seeing little dragon?"

Natsu snapped back into reality. His friends were dead, He was hurt and about to undergo a, probably, very painful and irreversible transformation. He had no business being in awe of anything. Didn't he decide not to care anymore? Hadn't he already left everything behind? This man's voice brought all of it right back to him.

"Yes." he answered in a flat tone, remembering what had happened the last time he'd ignored one of Igor's attempts at conversation.

"Good, I put quite a lot of work into this, so you better be grateful, understood?"

"Yes."

Looking satisfied, Igor turned around and walked back to were the entrance was located. Kneeling down close to the outer edge of the magic circle, he looked at Natsu, who managed to make out an almost happy looking smile on the man's face.

"Let's begin." With that, he pressed his hands down, touching his creation. As soon as magical energy had started connecting to the drawings on the floor, it began to spread. The activated areas had an eerie dark red glow to them. Once the entire thing was activated, Natsu started to feel something. He wasn't sure, how to describe it, it was very much like the feeling one would get by touching nettles or swimming into a bunch of jellyfish. It really was an unpleasant feeling.

The whole room was glowing now, enveloping him in it's dark and beautiful spell. He was mesmerized by it. Even if this was doing nothing good for him, he still couldn't believe that something so beautiful could actually harm him. It reminded him of the dragons themselves. Strong and dangerous, but beautiful and graceful at the same time. He closed his eyes. _'So, the last thing I remember as a human will be the dragons, eh? That's quite ironic…'_

Suddenly his thought were interrupted. The stinging sensation from earlier changed to a stabbing and burning pain. Agony like he'd never felt before began spreading from his spine, soon enveloping his entire body. He started screaming. He screamed and screamed until he couldn't scream anymore.

_Pleas, just kill me already…. _With this last thought, he completely lost himself to the agony he was feeling. There was nothing more in this world then white blinding pain and a man's deep laugh that was echoing through the room along with his screams and howls of agony.

Gray was at a loss. There really was nothing he and the others could do. Despair was threatening to overwhelm him completely. He really tried to play it cool and to be the strong one. He knew that especially Lucy needed that right now. He wouldn't be able to fool Erza of course. There was no one inside the fairy Tail guild that knew him and Natsu better then her after all. And if he was honest with himself, he really missed the loud and often annoying flame brain quite a bit.

Even if they fought each time they'd run in to each other, they were still finds. Of course, he'd never admit this out loud to anyone, but right now, he was barely keeping it together, and just for this idiot's sake!

Just then, he noticed the way, Erza looked at him. She had this knowing and at the same time pitying look in her eyes. They made eye contact for a second. In this moment, he didn't feel quite as alone as he'd done earlier. He knew there was nothing that needed to be said aloud between them. He knew haw she was feeling about all of this, and she knew the same about him. In a weird way, it was kind of comforting to know.

Suddenly, their little moment was interrupted. There were strange noises coming from outside of the door. They could hear scraping. This continued for about thirty more seconds. The sound was so strange, it even shocked Lucy out of her crying. The three of them quickly resumed their previous positions at the door. After all, they didn't know, who or what was about to enter their cell.

When the door finally opened, they were prepared to attack anything and everyone, to use this, likely last chance, to get out. Soon, however they realized, an attack would not be necessary.

In the open door right before them stood, to everyone#s surprise, a human – crab hybrid, also known as the celestial spirit Cancer.

"I came here to free you, baby."

They were completely and utterly shocked. How did this spirit, who really did have a knack for picking locks, know what was going on and how to find them? Lucy, who had recovered the fastest out of all of them after seeing one of her spirits, asked, what they all were thinking.

"H-how did you find us? And how did you get here, I didn't summon you, not that I'm not grateful, but…"

The crab just looked at its master. "Since you've grown stronger, We've gained the ability to sometimes cross over here on our own, baby."

"Didn't Horologium say something about this as well?"

"You're right Erza, He did, I remember now! But, Cancer, how did you manage to find us?"

"Baby, we can feel when our master is in danger, also, I found you by sensing my key, you've still got it on you baby."

"Well then" Erza started "Since we can get out now, I don't care how you did it. We need to go and help Natsu. It's been a while since he's been taken from his cell, and I fear what could already have happened to him."

"Erza is right, We need to go, Now. Come on Lucy!" The blond, who just had been busy thanking her spirit nodded. "Alright, Cancer, you can leave for now, bur get everyone on stand by, and I don't care about what they had planned on doing today, a date is no excuse either, now GO!"

The crab in question nodded and then disappeared.

"Well guys, let's go!"

**So then, this was chapter three. I hope you enjoyed it. I'd really appreciate reviews, likes. ect.**

**See you guys next time!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey everyone! I know it's been a while since I updated this story and I apologize for that.**

**I've been busy with my other story 'The unfortunate crow' (Haikyuu!) lately.**

**But since I've got some free time on my hands and because I've updated the other story just yesterday, I thought it would be nice to get the next chapter on 'Dragon's Child' done now as well.**

**Now then, on with chapter four.**

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After waiting on any news concerning his missing guild members, Makarov finally decided, he'd had enough. Missing check in was one thing, but just disappearing completely and not returning at all was another. The last time he'd spoken with team Natsu, they'd just arrived in Hargeon and were meeting up with their client. When they hadn't contacted the guild for the next few days, he hadn't been worried, but now?

He totally was. They had been due to get back days ago and being late like this couldn't just have been that they simply had gotten lost or something like that. Even if they would have decided to spend a few days more in the port town, they would have informed him about it. But the fact that not even Cana had managed to locate them with her card magic meant, that they were certainly not in some kind of holiday retreat for some R&R.

Now, He'd decided to send some of Fairy Tail's best after them. If they had disappeared due to another mage, this particular person had been strong enough to overwhelm not only Erza, but everyone else on the team as well, which meant, they would have to bee exceptionally strong.

After carefully contemplating this, he'd decided on a team. Gildarts, Mira and Wendy would be going. The two S class mages would have the strength to fight every opponent head on and the little Dragon Slayer would take care of any injured team members they could possibly find. He was of course aware that Wendy was a skilled fighter herself, but her keen senses and supporting abilities had been the key factor as to her joining the others on this rescue mission.

Makarov would have liked to send in a bigger team, but since he didn't know what they were facing and if all of this may be a trap or an attack on the guild, he couldn't leave Fairy Tail unprotected, just in case.

The three mages were now standing in front of him, all suited up and ready to leave.

"Well then my children, I trust you will do your best and bring our comrades home, right?"

They nodded. "Don't worry master, we'll make sure they return safely."

"Very good, but don't forget that you'll probably be facing exceptionally skilled wizards whom were able to overwhelm one of our strongest teams, so be careful, I don't want to have more of my children missing."

With this word of advise, they were off. He always worried when his children left to go and do something dangerous, but this time, he really had a very bad feeling. Makarov wasn't sure if it was because of them, or because of the group they were searching for, but if there was one thing he'd learned in his lengthy lifespan, then to trust his gut feeling when it came to situations like this.

As he watched them go, he couldn't help wondering if he would be seeing all of them again once all of this was over. He prayed to everyone that was willing to listen and hoped his feeling would be wrong this time.

**################################################################################**

Once they were out of the cell they'd been trapped it, they could immediately feel their magic energy returning to them. It was a huge relief to be able to feel and use it again. After all, this was the very essence of a mages life.

She and Gray were about to start running, but were stopped pretty quickly by their scarlet haired companion via sword.

"Oh come on Erza! What do you want now? We need to hurry!"

"I know Gray, but please think about this for a moment. We don't even know what direction to go! Do you think running around like headless chicken is going to accomplish anything?"

Lucy was well aware that Erza was right. But still… standing around and talking about strategy while they could be off searching really didn't feel right to her.

"Hey, can't we walk and think at the same time?" she offered while hoping the scarlet knight would accept this proposal. It would just relief some of their stress if they'd be able to at least cover some ground while thinking about strategy.

With a sigh, Erza nodded. "I think it would be best to head upstairs, after all, It'll be much easier to work from there and to escape later if we manage to find the exit beforehand."

On that note, they started searching for a staircase of some sort. Looking for Natsu's cell would be pointless since he'd been taken from there quite a while ago. She could still see his face and that hauntingly dead look in his eyes after he'd been told they'd died. She wished she could just go to him and take that look away. It was just too painful seeing the usually happy and active Dragon Slayer with that fiery personality of his like that.

"Over there!" Gray called as he rounded the next corner. "We can go up here!"

Following, the two women found themselves in front of a narrow flight of stairs leading up onto the next level. Due to a few torches lining the walls, they had been able to see fairly well in their windowless environment so far, but on the next level, there didn't seem to be any light at all.

"Creepy" she muttered while following her friends. She really hoped they wouldn't have to search for the next stairway once they were up, fumbling around in the dark was really the last thing they needed.

To everyone's delight, the stairs continued past the dark and cold hallway they had spotted earlier. But still… It really didn't seem to get any better on their way up. She really wished they'd taken a few of those torches with them, but when she had asked earlier, Erza had denied her request.

After all, it would be way easier to spot them if they were carrying something like that around with them.

She had no idea how much time had passed since they had started climbing those stairs, but to her, it felt like a very long time. Her legs had started protesting already as well. If it was because of the cold or because of exhaustion, she didn't know. By what she could make out in the dark, Erza and Gray weren't fairing much better. Their breathing had grown just as heavy as hers and their footsteps had started to sound heavy.

"Stop."

The simple command from their S class team mate was enough to make them stop moving immediately.

"What's wrong Erza, we don't have the time to-"

"Hush Gray! Can't you feel that?"

There was silence, then- "Magic?"

"I'm not sure, it feels a little off, that's probably why we haven't noticed it before, even if it is quite strong. "

Now that her two friend had mentioned it, Lucy noticed it as well. On first thought, it felt very similar to magic, but then, she noticed something odd about it. The energy she felt… didn't feel right. It was as if there was something more to it, a component none of them had felt before.

"What is this?"

Gray just shook his head. "I don't know, but it doesn't feel like any magic I've ever felt."

Erza agreed. "It doesn't feel like any human magic, that's for sure."

"You don't mean...-!"

"Calm down Lucy, I don't think it could be Natsu, after all, even if Ivan would have managed to succeed with his plan, Natsu's magic shouldn't feel too different from before, right?"

"You're right, his magic is already so similar to the one dragons use, it wouldn't change much, even if he got turned into one himself."

"That's what I think as well. However, there is one other thing that concerns me."

"What is it? Erza, come on, we don't have the time to-"

"Gray, don't you find it odd that a magic like the one Ivan is attempting even exists? Something strong enough to destroy the protection the dragons provided their children with would have to be either something new no one has ever seen before, or something very old the world has forgotten. Or even a mixture of both, do you get what I am saying? Also, it would have to bee very powerful."

Gray's face paled. "Crap, you don't think that monster is doing it right now as we speak, do you?"

The knight averted her gaze. She didn't need to answer, Lucy and Gray understood the meaning of her words quite clearly.

"There is one other thing I'd like to discuss: We don't know what might happen to Natsu if we interfere with the ritual. For all we know, it might kill him. I just don't want us to storm in unprepared and make everything worse for him."

By the sound of her voice, Erza was almost crying. "I think we're pretty close now, so when we get there, I want all of us to assess the situation before doing anything."

Now she felt like crying herself. What if they really couldn't stop it without killing their friend? She hadn't thought about this possibility at all until now. What if they had to watch him turn into a dragon and fly away with that man? They probably wouldn't see him ever again. And even if they did, there was no telling if what had been done to him could ever be reversed.

"Okay Erza, I promise I won't do anything reckless, but can we please continue now?"

"Yes we should keep going, thank you Gray. Lucy, I can trust that you won't do anything on your own either?"

The blond only nodded.

After climbing more stairs, it finally got brighter. Light had started filtering in through a door leading into another corridor. Judging by the windows that were lining one side of it, they weren't underground anymore. Also, they could see the last rays of the sunset. So, it was evening then.

No one of them had any idea how much time had passed exactly since they had been taken. She herself had estimated it to have been about two days or so, but she couldn't be sure.

Stepping out into the hallway, the three Fairy Tail mages started looking around. There really wasn't much to see. There were of course the windows, but except for that, there were only two other doors. One apparently leading outside, the other, a huge wooden double door, was located on the other wall, right in the center of it. Just by the looks of that thing, she assumed the room on the other side to be gigantic.

Taking a closer look, thy saw that it wasn't closed completely. A slight red and orange glow was filtering through, illuminating the hallway and bathing them in its soft glow once they stepped closer.

"Think we found it?" asked Gray, who was the one closest to it.

"Yes, I am certain the magic we felt earlier is coming from here and-"

Before Erza could continued, she was interrupted by something that could only be described as the most awful noise any one of them had ever heard.

Someone was screaming, or was it something? At first, she'd thought it had been a human, but after a second, the sound changed to something she could only associate with a tortured animal.

The three of them looked at each other, faces pale and utter horror visible in their eyes.

No one needed to say what they all were thinking. They had a terrible suspicion about the origins of that scream. Lucy prayed the were wrong about this, but the odds fot that were less then slim.

**################################################################################**

The moment the shock had passed, Gray was at the door, ready to rip that thing out of its hinges. He was fairly sure that what he'd heard just now was his fried/rival. He'd heard the salmon haired mage scream like that before and he knew, the other two had as well.

The last time had been in Edolas when Natsu and Wendy had been caught and subjected to having their magical energy forcefully ripped from their bodies. Back then had been bad, but this? It had sounded way worse than he'd though possible.

Before he could touch the wooden door however, his hand was cough by an armor clad one.

"Hey! Let me-"

"Gray, please! You promised!"

He had, hadn't he? He paused his movements and looked at Erza. He was sure she wanted to rush in there just as badly as he wanted. After all, she was the only person besides himself that knew Natsu as well and as long as he did. She also cared for him more then almost anyone in the entire guild. If she was able to control herself, he should at least try, but it was just so… hard. Knowing that idiot was in there, suffering and in pain. It killed him not to be in there and do something against it right this instant!

"What are we supposed to do then?! I don't know about you guys, but I for one wont stand around here and listen to him being hurt like that!

"I know, and we won't, I promise! But we still need to secure the exit and then gather information before we-"

"Information my ass! Go secure that damn door, but I won't just stand by and watch!"

"And I don't expect you too, I just don't want us to be caught again!"

In a matter of seconds, the door leading outside had been pulverized. Then, they were finally ready to enter the other room. When another scream tore through their ears, this time audibly weaker then the one before, he had enough. Using both hands, he pushed the doors open. Nothing could have prepared him for what awaited him on the other side.

The firs thing he noticed was the heat. It crashed into him like a wave, making him close his eyes briefly. It was so hot, his skin started to burn. He instantly felt like he had a bad case of sunburn. When he opened his eyes again, he thought he was looking into hell itself. The whole room was glowing red and orange, as if it was filled with raging flames. On closer inspection, he noticed that all of this was part of one massive magical circle. He'd never seen something like this before.

Delicate patterns were covering every inch of space in there! The floor, the ceiling, as well as the walls. If he didn't know better, he'd thought it was beautiful. Runes and pictures of plants and animals as well as geometrical patterns and circles all delicately twisted into each other, forming a scene that almost seemed alive.

Focusing, he started looking for anything else. After a moment, he wasn't disappointed. A few feet away from them sat the one responsible for all of this. Ivan had both his hands pressed down onto the circle, his face drawn in intense concentration. It looked like he hadn't even noticed them entering until now.

However, he was distracted when he heard the horrified gasps coming from the two women who had entered right after him. Following their gaze to the rooms center, he couldn't help but to stare. What he was seeing there… clearly wasn't human.

Before he could look closer however, Ivan looked up from his work. The slight noises they had made just now seemed to have alerted him to their presence.

"WHAT?! Who the FUCK let you guys out?!"

"Shut up! This really is NONE of your business! What have you done to our friend?"

But instead of an answer, the man rose to his feet. As soon as his hands weren't touching the ground anymore, the red glow and the heat around them disappeared.

"How dare you interrupt? I'll need to deal with you before continuing now! If I wait to long, It won't work anymore! He wouldn't be able to become a full dragon!"

That was all the information they needed. In an instant, Ivan had been run through with multiple spears of ice, Before the man knew what had happened, Erza had used her sword to deliver the final blow. There really was no was they would have let him live after all of this.

Before the life faded from his eyes, he managed to mutter out a few last words. Gray really had to strain his ears to make out what Ivan was saying.

"So be it then. What you have done now is far worse then anything I ever did to this poor little dragon. Now he won't be able to live as either human nor dragon, he'll be trapped in between forever and nothing you could ever do will change that." One last breath and he went still.

What had he… Wait, Natsu!

Turning around, he now got a clear view on his friend. The dragon slayer was curled up on the floor, bound by heavy chains and apparently unconscious, only dressed in what remained of the pair of pants he'd worn when they were captured.

Suddenly, Natsu started to stir, a growl coming from deep within his throat. And now, they were able to see the full extent of what Igor had done to their comrade.

There were dark red scales covering multiple parts of his body. His legs didn't show any remains of human skin, his feet having changed to having four toes instead of five, three in front and one growing on the side, each of them ended in a sharp black claw.

The same thing could be said about his hands, although their shape didn't change much from before. His fingers were now ending in sharp talons as well. Scales were covering his arm up to his elbows, then fading and only reappearing occasionally up to his shoulders. Natsu's chest and stomach only showed some skin left in the center, scales growing in flame like patterns over his sides and covering his back. His throat was basically the same.

When his friend turned his head, he was finally able to see his face. It looked mostly human, except the scales growing under his eyes and the pointed ears, that were covered in scales as well. There was also a pair of elegantly curved black horns poking out from the salmon hair that was covering his head.

The biggest change however were his eyes. They had changed from their usual warm olive color to bright gold with a slitted pupil in the middle. Through the slightly parted lips, Gray could also make out sharp fangs instead of the just a bit sharpened human teeth that had sat there previously.

Finally, there were black spikes running along his rivals spine, that had lengthened into a long tail, ending in a few very sharp looking spikes. And of course the pair of huge wings that spread out from Natsu's shoulders and were now folded neatly against the salamanders scaled back. They seemed to be red with black spikes on their tips as well, although he suspected the thin membrane that connected the bones to be a bit more light in color.

"N-Natsu…?"

He saw Lucy slowly walking over to what was left of the Dragon Slayer. But before she could reach him, he caught sight of them. Gray could immediately see the change in his eyes. They had gone from confused and scared to downright shocked and unbelieving, before rolling into the back of his head. Before they could even attempt to catch him, Natsu had slumped back down to the floor again.

Hurrying over to him now, Gray, Erza and Lucy were at a loss about what to do. They knew he'd been injured earlier, but now, there were no traces left of those wounds. Maybe the transformation process had automatically repaired the damage?

Kneeling down, he carefully poured some of his magic into the manacles locks that were still chaining the salamander to the cold floor. When he'd gotten a feel for the them, he replicated a key and after a moment, they fell off.

**################################################################################**

Looking down on her unconscious friend, Erza wasn't sure what to do. The moment Gray had taken of those shackles, they could have just left, but… She had no idea how to handle Natsu. Should they just carry him out and hope he wouldn't suddenly wake up? After all, they had no idea in what state of mind he would be, if he would still think and act like a human or if he wouldn't even recognize them anymore, maybe even attacking them. What if he started acting like a dragon? She had no idea how she'd handle her friend then.

There was also still the matter that Ivan had convinced him, that they were all dead. It would be quite the shock for him to see them again so sudden just like that.

Deciding that it would be better to leave this place rather then staying anyways, she looked at her, clearly still shocked friends. She couldn't hold it against them. After all, it was quite hard to believe that the creature in front of them really was the same Natsu Dragneel they had known for all this time. She wouldn't have been sure herself if it wouldn't have been for his hair. There was really no mistaking that color.

But now? Natsu really didn't look much like before.

How would everyone at the guild react to this? She was sure some wouldn't mind, but there was no guarantee for that. What if they couldn't? Fairy Tail was his home, where would he even go if they decided to chase him away? Erza really didn't want any more harm to come to the man she'd come to consider a younger brother for all those years.

"Gray?" The dark haired mage looked at her, confusion still evident in his eyes. "Don't worry, we'll figure this out eventually, Okay?"

After receiving a nod, she continued. "Could you help me carry him? I don't really know where to touch him, so we'll just pull one arm each over our shoulders, got it?"

"Okay, I had been wondering about that as well. Do you think it's a good idea to move him right now?"

"I think it's better than staying here."

"Ahhm… Is there anything I can do?"

Erza turned to the blond that had just spoken. She seemed to have recovered from her initial shock and had a determined look on her face. She didn't know why she'd been worried earlier. Of course they would take care of Natsu and someday, it would all be okay again.

"Yes, I'd like you to to keep watch while we walk. I don't want to get attacked again."

"Right!" The blond straightened up, making sure she'd be able to grab her keys in a split second if necessary.

After getting back up onto their feet, She and Gray pulled Natsu to his feet and started carrying him like they'd discussed earlier.

And then, the four mages made their way out of the building. Since they had no idea where they were, they just started walking in the direction they thought Magnolia was in. They had nothing to go on but the stars that started to come out as they were walking to lead them in the right direction. Since it was night now, They didn't run in to any other people.

She was happy about that. Natsu's current appearance wouldn't be easy to explain and she really didn't want people staring at the poor Dragon Slayer either. Because of this, they wouldn't be taking any of the main routes or public transport. They would avoid as much human contact as possible. It would be quite the long journey home like that, but it was better for Natsu like this.

Erza just hoped that they wouldn't run in to more trouble on their way home.

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**Well then, that was chapter four. I hope you enjoyed reading it. I'd really love to get some reviews on this. **

**I was thinking about putting up a picture of Natsu and the way he looks in this story, but only if you guys are interested, so let me know, okay?**

**See you guys next time!**

**Nahesa**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey there, Thanks to everyone who is reading, reviewing and following this story. I know I haven't been updating as frequently as some of you might like and I'm very sorry about that. I'll try to do better in the future. As some of you might know, I'm working on my other story 'The unfortunate crow' as well right now. I may not be able to update 'Dragon's Child' every week because of that, but I promise to continue to work har on it anyways.**

**Have fun with chapter 5**

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He was feeling… strange. Natsu had no idea how else to put it. His body felt off somehow, some parts heavier then he remembered and some parts he didn't even remember having at all. Strangely though, they didn't feel_ wrong. _They actually felt as if they had belonged there all along.

Everything hurt as well, especially his back and shoulders. His head too, it felt so heavy. He felt like absolute crap.

The last thing he really remembered was Igor chanting and then pain. It had felt as if someone was tearing him apart from the inside out. He also recalled something else, but… that couldn't have been right. The three people he had seen couldn't have been there. After all, they had been killed by that monster.

Still though, they had seemed so real.

But could he really be sure about that? He had been in even more agony then he was now back then. Also, he'd been exhausted and on the verge of either death or passing out. At this point, he had thought the first of the two might be more accurate. After all, some people believed that your loved once would accompany one to the other side after death.

Strange… he thought he could still hear them talking. Natsu felt way to weak to open his eyes, but… there was no mistaking those scents and voices. Was he really dead? If he was, there was really nothing to regret, after all, by dying, he'd foiled Igor's plan, right?

But wasn't death supposed to be peaceful? If it was, why was he still so tired? Why was he hurting so much? Natsu felt as if he could fall asleep again any second. Something definitely wasn't right. His foggy mind wasn't ready to really comprehend the situation he was in yet, but there was one thing, that kept him in a semi-awake state.

What if he wasn't dead?

If this was the case, it could only mean that Igor had lied about killing the others and that they were still very much alive. A tiny spark of hope ignited in his chest. Maybe he would be able to see them again, go on quests and have fun at the guild together. The thought alone made him smile slightly.

What if he managed to open his eyes? What if he was wrong and this was just another of Igor's tricks? Fear started to build up inside him. He couldn't stand to have to realize their death and accept it yet again. He really wasn't sure if he would be able to keep from killing himself if this really was happening.

Natsu felt himself growl. This was all Igor's fault. If he weren't so damn tired, he would rip that piece of crap to pieces right this instant! Killing his family? Torturing him and forcing his ideas upon his body? Something like this was unforgivable! How dare this little, weak human-… Wait! What was he just thinking? Wasn't he one of them as well?

Sure, his body was able to wield a dragon's magic and had the ability to take on some of a dragon's qualities, but his mind had always been more or less human. He had never wished any harm upon them or thought of them as inferior to him, he had been certain he was one of them as well, so why? Why was he feeling so… feral? Why was he feeling joy when thinking about killing one of them? When had they become 'Them' anyways?

He wanted to rip that man apart, sink his teeth and claws into his flesh and rip and scratch at it until there was nothing left then a bloody pile of shreds. He wanted to roar out his pain and sorrow, torch something to let at least that feel as dead as he did. He wanted to fly away, far away where no one knew him, Fairy Tail or any of the other guilds. Searching for a cave far from any human civilization, just staying and grieving there for all eternity. That sounded pretty good right now.

Natsu wasn't sure what he would do if anyone tried to speak to him in the state he was in right now. His emotions were too raw, his regard for life barely existent at all. Would he kill someone without hesitation if angered? He couldn't answer that with a clear 'No' without having serious doubts about it.

What would he do if he opened his eyes just to wake up to a world without his closest family and friends? Sure, there were still others in his Guild he still considered that as well, but those three had been even more dear to him then he was even able to put into words.

Erza had always been something of a very scary older sister to him, while Gray was his annoying brother and Lucy their best friend.

The blond girl was the newest addition to their tight nit group. While he, Erza and Gray basically had grown up together, she'd managed to just… be there, like any best friend would. She was the one thing the group had been missing all this time, one person to just get them to loosen up once in a while, to remember them about some of the things that mattered. She broadened their horizon in a way, no one else would have been able to, always being the one to pull them out of their own heads if need be.

They were all his family, his flock, those he was supposed to protect and be protected by if he needed them to.

He missed them so much, it hurt.

Deciding that he couldn't think about what had been and what could still happen forever, he tried to open his eyes. At first, nothing happened. He growled again, but this time in frustration, not in anger like before. Why was he so weak? Hadn't he just been brave enough to try to look at what was going on? This could cost him the last of his sanity, maybe even destroy him completely, so why? Why wouldn't his body cooperate?

Taking a deep breath, he tried again. This time, he managed to open them at least a little bit. At first, everything was blurry. He had no idea why though. He had never had any problems with his eyes. Actually, they had been pretty good as far as he knew. He tried again. This time, he felt something else move. It wasn't his eyelid, at least he hoped it wasn't. After all, it wasn't supposed to move horizontally, right?

At leas now, he could see again. There was grass and dirt beneath his feet. Inhaling deeply through his nose, he smelled trees and water, as well as a bunch of different plants and flowers. His tired brain provided him with the information, that he was inside some sort of forest.

Strange, he couldn't remember there being one back at Igor's place. Had he made it out? But how? Maybe Fairy Tail had sent someone to get them? After all, they had been supposed to be back home days ago. But if they were, why was he just smelling the three people he had been sure were dead?

He was still to weak to raise his head, so he decided to listen. Maybe their voices would be able to supply him with the information he needed most right now.

Were they alive? What happened since he passed out?

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They had been walking for hours now. Night had fallen and it was almost completely dark. Igor's hideout had been located inside a very dense forest that seemed almost completely devoid of light during nighttime.

Gray was walking quietly beside Erza, who was helping him carry Natsu. They hadn't spoken much since they'd escaped. Even Lucy, who normally wasn't a very quiet person, hadn't been talking either. He assumed it was because she was the one responsible for their safety right now. If they were attacked, he hand Erza would first need to put Natsu down, what would cost then valuable seconds should a battle occure.

He really didn't want to imagine the outcome of a situation like that. If they were captured again, things could turn out even worse then they were now.

"Ngrrrrrr."

Had he just imagined that? It had sounded like… a wolf maybe? Something else? He wasn't sure, but no human could have made that...Oh.

Turning his head, he observed his salmon haired friend.

"Hey Erza, did you hear that just now?"

The scarlet haired knight nodded. "Maybe he's waking up? It would be good, I'm worried about a few things I'd like to check with him before we head back to the guild."

Gray understood what she meant. They had no clue about what this procedure had done to the young Dragon Slayer mentally. The physical changes were quite obvious of course, but everything else? They couldn't bring him to Fairy Tail safely if he was behaving like a rabid animal after all.

There it was again, That growl from earlier. This time however, it sounded slightly different. He wasn't sure If he'd imagined it, but if he didn't know better, his friend sounded… annoyed?

"Should we maybe stop? If he wakes up like this, he might get a bit disorientated."

He looked at the blond who just had spoken. Gray hadn't been aware she was listening. Looking at Erza and silently asking her for her opinion, he wished she would agree. If he was honest, Natsu was no light weight, especially with all those new additions. The guy was practically made up of muscles, skin and bone. Okay, now there were also scales, horns and who knew what else, but those were basically the same, right?

"Yes, I think that would be best, after all, continuing in this darkness and maybe even injuring ourselves will not be helpful at all. We will stop as soon as we find a suitable spot. Gray, I will carry Natsu from here on out. I want you to assist Lucy with finding a good campsite."

He nodded, happy to be able to move a bit more freely now. While he was transferring Natsu to Erza's back however, something caused him to halt in mid movement.

A pair of bright yellow eyes with slitted pupils stared at him.

With a surprised yelp, he let go of the still limp body of his friend and jumped a few steps back.

Meanwhile, Natsu landed on the ground with an audible thump.

"Gray! What the hell are you doing!?"

Pointing his finger at the form on the ground, he searched for the right words.

"I- uhhh. I think he… might be awake?"

"WHAT!?" The two woman shouted as they quickly made their way to their fallen friend, who's face was now facing towards the sky.

He himself approached a bit more careful. Something about those eyes...scared him. He didn't know why though. Maybe because they were the furthest from human eyes he had ever seen? Maybe because they just didn't belong in that face? If that was how a dragon's eyes were supposed to look, he could understand how it was that Dragon Slayers didn't seem to fear anything. If you were raised by a beast with eyes like those, there really wasn't much else that could impress even more then that.

Erza carefully tapped Natsu's cheek in hopes of getting a response from the still motionless teen. At first, it didn't seem to work. Natsu remained as lifeless as ever, just staring unblinking at the sky, seemingly not noticing their presence at all.

Suddenly however, Erza's hand was caught by something.

On closer inspection, Natsu's tail had wrapped itself around her wrist, narrowly avoiding her flesh with it's sharp spikes. She let out a surprised gasp.

"Erza!"

"Are you okay?"

He and Lucy had asked at the same time, both having not expected this at all. Another growl? Sure. Some verbal response? Yeah, would have been even better! But this? Gripping something with ones tail certainly wasn't normal. Or should he say hadn't been normal? After all, this was how it would be from now on. He really needed to take care not to forget that his rival was now a little bit different from before.

"Don't worry you two, he didn't hurt me."

Now that she mentioned it, he could see that her wrist was held very carefully by the red and black appendage, almost as if Natsu was scared of hurting her.

"D- do you think he recognizes us?"

Erza looked at Lucy, a warm smile on her face. "I'm certain he does. But I don't know to what extend"

Smiling, the blond took one of the half dragon's hands, or were it claws? In her delicate pale hands, pressing it to her lips. "Please Natsu! Please come back to us, okay?"

He didn't know what to do. He really wasn't the type to deal with stuff like this, holding hands and all that just really wasn't his style.

"Hen now, come on you lazy ass flame lizard, talk to us?"

His usual MO of insulting and provoking usually worked if he tried to get a reaction out of the salmon head, but this time, it lacked it's usual spark. He really couldn't bring himself to actually mean it. The other two knew that as well, but choose not to comment on it. They were busy whispering their own reassurances, begging their friend to return to them and hoping against all odds that he would be okay.

If he was completely honest with himself, he wasn't too sure about that. They had seen the pain that had been inflicted upon their friend both physically and mentally, as well as the changes his body had been put through. For all he knew, Natsu could still die right here and now, without talking to them ever again.

Gray could feel tears welling up in his eyes. He really couldn't stand the thought of his rival and best friend dying just like that, in a forest on the ground. No battle, no fire, nothing. He'd always imagined the energetic fireball dying while doing something damn impressive and heroic, managing to save a lot of people in the process, not something like this!

What would they even tell the others? 'Hey, by the way, Natsu was tortured to death by a dragon obsessed madman'? He was pretty sure the Guild wouldn't be satisfied by that. This was a conversation he really didn't want to have with Gramps. The old man was very fond of Natsu. Of course their master didn't play favorites but still, Natsu got away with almost everything if the Old geezer had a say in it.

He could still remember the day Master had come back to the guild, followed by a loud pink haired kid who didn't really act all that human now that he thought about it. This was a memory he was pretty fond of. Of course the two of them had gotten into a fight right away, but what else was new, right? They had bonded pretty fast over their fear of the almighty Erza pretty quickly after that.

Should they really loose all this now? Loosing Natsu would be just as bad as loosing Ur had been, if not even worse. He was sure, it would rip a huge hole into everyone's hearts as well as the guild. Master probably would retire once and for all, Cana would really drink herself into a coma this time, Mira would go berserk, Wendy would probably cry for months, blaming herself for not being there, Gajeel would retreat to some secluded spot and train until absolute exhaustion. And he didn't even dare to think about what Gildarts would do. Fairy Tail's ace had an almost father-son relationship with Natsu after all.

And Happy? Gray just shook his head. He had seen how the blue Exeed had reacted when Lisanna had 'died'. Loosing Natsu would be way worse. The fur-ball would probably kill himself or just fall into depression and die from that.

Natsu simply couldn't die! He'd take a lot more with him then just memories and a few tears. If he died, it would destroy the guild. After all, Natsu was their heart. Gray really couldn't believe that it had taken something like this for him to finally realize that.

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When Erza had felt something grab her wrist, she had been scared at first. After all, she had seen those spikes earlier when it was still light enough to do so.

But then, she'd felt the softness and care in it as well and in that instant she had been sure, he wouldn't hurt her. Having a tail around her wrist like that felt quite strange. If she would have to compare it to something, she'd say it was very similar of the feeling one would get from a snake curling its body around ones wrist. It was smooth and warm. She could feel every movement it made, every tightening of muscles and every millimeter it moved over her skin.

And those eyes… On first glance, they seemed empty, almost dead. But when she looked closer, she almost started to cry from all the sadness and suffering she could see there. Some would find them scary, but not her. She had seen so many scary things in her life, had been to way too many dark and hopeless places to fear something like this.

For example the Tower of heaven

...Natsu had been the one to finally free her from it. Now, she intended to do the same for him. No matter what, she would stay at his side. Even if he shouldn't be human anymore, even if he were to become a monster, she vowed to never leave him. After all, he would do the same for any of them without hesitation.

Erza could feel her friends tail moving again, slightly tightening its grip, as if to make sure she wouldn't leave.

Natsu was such an idiot. Of course she wouldn't. He was her little brother after all.

She watched as he slowly blinked, now noticing for the first time the almost white second eyelid that flickered over his golden iris for a split second before he closed and then opened his eyes again.

What else had changed that she didn't know about yet? She shook her head. Thinking about what if's was a waste of time. She would face head on whatever was to come their way. This was just the way she was.

"Natsu? Hey, can you look at me for a second?" She spoke very soft and quiet, trying not to scare or startle him. For all they knew, he still thought they were dead. They couldn't be sure that he had understood what had been going on earlier when they'd found him.

Yellow orbs locked onto her brown ones, finally showing something like recognition.

"That's good, don't worry, everything is going to be okay, trust me. We'll all be going home soon."

A slight smile was the only indication she got that he'd actually understood what he had been told just now.

"E-er-za? Whahh-…?"

She couldn't believe he was actually talking. There was no way she would be able to force the smile away that was tugging on her face. This was way better then anything she'd dared to hope for. It meant that he was at least capable to reason and to communicate. It meant that they could really go home!

"Don't worry, I'll explain in a minute, but can you tell me how you're feeling first? I just want to make sure you aren't hurt anywhere."

He seemed to think for a bit. She and the others watched him in anticipation.

" 'm okay."

"Bullshit! We saw what that-"

"Gray!"

"Sorry Erza but there is no way he's okay after what that monster did to him!"

"I know, but what I actually wanted to know was, if his life is in immediate danger right now, nothing else."

With a huff, Gray turned away from her and looked at Natsu

"So? No dying or anything?"

"...don't think so."

While the salmon haired teen spoke, she noticed his now even sharper teeth. He'd had them before, but that was nothing compared to what they looked like now. There wasn't a single tooth in his mouth that looked even remotely human. They looked like they belonged to a predator.

Natsu's eyes looked at her, questions and anxiety burning in those golden depths, overshadowing the pain she'd seen there earlier.

Taking a deep breath, she started her explanation.

"First of all, we are not dead. We know he told you we were, but that was a lie. When we first woke up, we were in a cell. Our magic wouldn't work at all. You weren't with us. A bit later, Igor came and told us about what he wanted to do to you and that he convinced you, we were dead. He conjured up some sort of mist that let us see and hear everything that was happening in your cell. When we finally got out due to one of Lucy's spirits, we started searching for you. We knew he'd already taken you from your cell to start the ritual so we went upstairs where we finally found you. We then took care of Igor and escaped."

She'd tried to keep it as short and simple as she could. Still, there was something else she needed to tell him.

"Also, you should know that we managed to get you out, but due to the stage the ritual was in when we did, your body was… changed a little bit. You now have wings, horns and a tail. Also some scales as well as claws. Your eyes did change color as well. I'm sorry we didn't manage to get there sooner, If we just had been a little faster…"

She couldn't continue. There was nothing she would ever be able to do against the guilt she was feeling right now.

"'S okay, I'm… happy you're… okay."

It was clear to anyone who looked at him, that those words were very sincere. Natsu looked as if a great weight had been taken of his shoulders. Relief flooded those reptilian eyes and his face seemed to soften a bit, making him look a little more like the Natsu they all knew. It was good to see him like that. There was hope they'd get their energetic friend back eventually.

"We're just so happy you're okay!" sobbed Lucy, who was still clutching her best friends hand, tears streaming down her smiling face. "When- When we saw what he did, we thought we'd never see you again!"

"Me… too Luce, he really had me convinced you were all...dead."

"That must have been so awful! And you- you were h-hurt and… and-"

Lucy sounded almost hysteric at this point. Erza decided it was enough now, after all, Natsu still didn't look well at all and would certainly need time to recover as well as greatly benefit from some rest.

"Speaking of that, I know for a fact that you are not well. Can we do anything to help?"

Natsu slowly shook his head. "Just tired, feel like… sleep.."

"I see. When you woke up just now, we were searching for a place to make camp. If you can hold out for a little longer, I'm sure we'll find something."

"...need to… head into the forest. There's… water about… 500 meters north of… here."

"HOW the hell do you know...-"

"Gray, stop shouting!"

"Yeah okay, but I still want to know how he knows that!"

"I can smell it."

Of course he could. Gray looked at him dumbfounded. Then, Erza had a thought. Natsu seemed to be able too see pretty well in the dark, at least way better then they did. Also, he could make out a suitable campsite from a distance like that. Sure his senses had been better then a humans, even better then most dragon slayers, but this was something else.

"Natsu, is it possible your senses have improved as well?"

The Salmon head nodded tiredly, his eyes almost closed. He didn't even acknowledge Gray's shout of "No Way!"

"Okay, I think we should get moving. Gray, stop freaking out and help me carry Natsu again, okay?"

Without another word, the group of four headed into the aforementioned direction. After a pretty precise 500 meters, they reached a small lake. There was a nice and well sheltered clearing not too far away. This was where they chose to spend the night. It would be pretty hard to find them hidden behind the deep undergrowth that surrounded their temporary home.

They didn't have any food or blankets to make camp with, so they just searched for the most comfortable spots on the ground while rotating to go to the lake to drink some water.

As soon as Natsu was deposited on a particularly thick spot of moss, he curled up into a ball and hid his face under hone wing while using the other one and his tail to cover the rest of his body. He was the only one of them, who didn't even go for a drink before sleeping. Erza needed to take care not to laugh at how much he resembled a sleeping bird like that. She also marveled at how well he was adjusting to all of this. Having three additional limbs like that couldn't be easy after all.

The boy's breathing evened out in a matter of seconds. He was soundly asleep.

The rest of them decided that keeping guard wouldn't benefit them right now. They were all exhausted and in no shape to fight anyways. This was a pretty well hidden spot so the chances of anyone finding them here were barely existent.

Lying down in her own spot, she thought about Fairy Tail. What would they say about all of this? Had they noticed their disappearance yet and if so, did they send someone out to search for them?

She was pretty sure they did. After all, Master always knew when something was up. She just hoped they wouldn't find any more trouble until they managed to get home or at least find the search party. It would be way easier to travel if they had some strong people who weren't worn out and could actually fight if need be.

But that was something to think about in the morning. She could hear soft snores coming from Gray, who had fallen asleep almost as fast as Natsu. Lucy as well, although she wasn't snoring.

Finally, they were all back together With that reassuring thought in mind, she finally managed to fall into a peaceful and refreshing sleep as well.

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**Here is another chapter finished! Yay!**

**I hope you enjoyed it. Please review and like/follow if you Haven't/aren't already. It's always reassuring to know that your work is appreciated.**

**Las but not least, I hope that you like the cover image I put up for this story. This is basically a drawing of how I imagine Natsu looking right now.**

**Have a nice week everyone**

**See you next time**

**Nahesa**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey everyone! I really enjoyed reading your reviews, it makes me very happy to see that you guys are enjoying my work. **

**Thank you so much for supporting me and this story.**

**Chapter 6**

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When she woke up, Lucy was disoriented. It took her about ten seconds to remember what had happened the previous day and that she wasn't a prisoner anymore.

The night spend in the forest had been pure heaven. She had slept very soundly, knowing that Igor was dead and couldn't hurt them anymore and knowing that Natsu was with them again. Turning around, she looked at the lump of red scales curled up a few meters away from her and the others, who were still soundly asleep.

Smiling slightly, she rose to her feet and slowly walked over to where her reptilian friend was doing a pretty good job at imitating a sleeping bird. Since he had his head stuck under one of his wings, she couldn't see his face, but still, she was sure, he was resting peacefully. His breathing was deep and even and he wasn't moving around, which was something he would do when having a nightmare. And since Natsu used to sleep in her apartment a lot, she knew what she was talking about.

Remembering back to the night before, she still could feel the relief she'd felt then, when they'd found out that Natsu still remained somewhat sane and human. Of course she was aware that the pink haired teen still could start to act more...animalistic then last night, after all, he'd seemed very tired then, almost to a point where she had feared he might not open his eyes ever again if he fell asleep.. To her relief, this really seemed not to be the case.

Looking at her companion, she thought about what had happened to him.

What had that spell been anyways? The celestial magic she used herself was pretty old alright, but the spell Igor had used? The pure time and effort it must have taken to research and create all of this must have been huge! It had covered the floor, the walls and even the sealing. Most of the runes she remembered seeing had been ancient. She had only seen those in one of Levy's oldest books. Most of the spell however was something she had never seen, nor heard of before.

The magic that had come from it had seemed so very old and powerful. So full of energy and, there really was no other way to put is, live. The whole thing had been so perfect and harmonic, it had almost seemed as if it were part of a living being. She was sure her bookworm of a friend would have loved to get a look at it. Maybe she would have been able to decipher it and return Natsu to the way he used to be if she had come with them.

Should they head back there? She wasn't even sure which direction Igor's hideout was from their current location. It had been fairly dark when they had made their escape through the forest and no one of them had bothered to mark their way or even try to remember which way they were going. They all just had wanted to get away as fast as possible.

However, now she was regretting not doing so. If they would be able to find their way back, maybe they could find a way to help their friend? Shaking her head, she discarded the idea again. The most important thing right now was to get Natsu back to the Guilt, maybe even to Polyusaca. After all, therewas really no way of knowing what that spell may have done to him.

She sat there, buried so deeply in her own thoughts that she hadn't even noticed the sun rising higher and higher on the horizon. They should be leaving soon. It was still a long way back home and she really didn't feel like sleeping outside more then necessary, no matter how comfy some spots out here could be. There was really nothing better then the one's own bed when it came to sleeping after all.

Walking over to where Gray and Erza had made camp, she crouched down and shook their shoulders lightly.

"Gray? Erza, its time to wake up, it's light already."

Erza was awake right away. The red haired knight was alert the minute she woke. Gray not so much.

"Ah, good morning Lucy. Has anything happened?"

"No, I just though we might want to leave soon, the sun's up already."

Erza nodded, then turned to the still sleeping ice mage next to her. "Better wake him." She muttered and got to her feet. Towering over the poor boy, she said in her most dangerous and authoritative voice: "Gray! Get up NOW!"

Within a second, the dark haired teen had woken and was on his feet. Lucy suspected him reliving some kind of childhood trauma involving Erza and oversleeping or something like that. With her current team, there was nothing that would surprise her anymore.

"What about Natsu? Is he still-"

"I'm awake."

Surprised, the trio turned around to face their comrade. While they had been talking, he had apparently woken and was now slowly making his way to his feet. He was still swaying slightly, but she suspected this being due to him not being used to walk around with all those new body parts yet.

When the boy had managed to stand somewhat safely, he started slowly moving his tail and wings. He seemed to be able to do so consciously which was a good sign. At least he'd be able to control them and not have them flap around whenever they saw fit without him agreeing.

They were still watching, mesmerized by the whole thing, as Natsu took his first few awkward steps. It was clear that he wasn't used to walking on claws at all.

"Feels weird…"

He seemed to have forgotten that all of them were still there. "Natsu?"

He looked at her. For a second, she forgot to breathe. Now that he was actually awake, those eyes were even more stunning then she'd thought possible. The sparkled like fire, shades and color slightly changing when light fell into them. It was like looking into a Volcano. Beautiful and dangerous at the same time.

"Did you need anything?" He looked confused.

She realized she'd been staring at him for a few seconds now. "I ahh…"

Thankfully, Erza came to the rescue. "I think what Lucy wanted to ask was, if you will be able to walk on your own. If we want to get back to Magnolia, we'll need to leave soon."

He nodded.

"Thank god! Because if you wouldn't be able to walk, I certainly would have no desire to carry your fat ass home flame-brain."

"Well Ice-princess, no one asked for your opinion!"

They continued this for a few minutes, the two woman only watching. It was nice to see that at least some things hadn't changed. When those two started to scuffle however, Erza quickly interfered.

From her point of view, it was quite obvious why. Natsu wasn't fighting like he normally would. Instead of using his fists or even some of his magic, he was readying himself to strike his rival with his claws, teeth barred, while snarling at the other, his tail swaying from side to side.

"Stop this, both of you! We haven't got time for this!"

They halted in mid movement. Now, Gray seemed to notice the change in his friend as well.

"Hey flame-brain, you okay there?"

Up until now, Lucy hadn't noticed, but now that it was silent, she could hear Natsu growling. The whole thing was starting to worry her. First everything had seemed fine, but now, her friend wasn't acting like himself at all anymore. He looked more like… an angry animal ready to kill.

Slowly, Gray put his hands up in surrender and started backing up.

"Hey now, come on man, I was just fooling around, calm down."

First, Natsu didn't show any indication he'd heard his rival at all, then, he slowly lowered his hands and stopped growling. Cocking his head to the side, he looked at them questioningly.

"Is everything okay? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Hadn't he noticed what he was doing just now? He'd looked as if he wanted to kill Gray right where he stood.

"Well," Erza said, "you were… growling just now. "

"Oh." He seemed to think for a moment, then nodded his head. "Yeah, I was, something wrong with that?" Grinning widely while showing off his sharp fangs, he turned around and started walking. "Weren't we supposed to be heading home?"

"Natsu?! Do you even know where you are going?"

"Sure, come on or I'll leave you behind!"

"How?"

"Oh shut it frosty, I just know, okay?"

From the look on Gray's face, it wasn't. But before he could even open his mouth, he was silenced by Erza. They shared a few meaningful looks. Maybe Natsu hadn't come out of this whole thing as unscathed as they'd initially thought. If something like the small argument earlier could set him off like that, what would happen in a real fight?

They needed to get back home. Fast. Before this could start to get out of hand.

While they continued their journey home, the three humans started to realize that this could very well get a lot more difficult then they'd thought possible.

**################################################################################**

Natsu was feeling surprisingly good. Sure, the new body parts were something he would need to get used to over time, but all things considered, it could be worse. Sure, Gray was just as annoying as always, but it had still been quite funny to see the look of fear on his face when Natsu had growled at him earlier. To be honest, it had just felt right at the moment. He didn't have to think about how to get used to those new dragon-like characteristics. Apparently, his body did that for him already. It had reacted instinctively when he had been annoyed earlier. It just felt so… natural, acting like this, having a body like this… It felt as if he was meant to be like this all along.

Would he be able to fly? Those wings seemed big enough, so why not? He thought about trying it right here and now but that would probably not work in his favor. After all, they were in a forest. He remembered Igneel telling him that it was very important to have enough space when attempting to fly.

Walking on his new feet had been a challenge at first, but after a few minutes, he'd gotten the hang of it. He just needed to take care not to trip over them and to balance more carefully. His tail was a great help with that. It seemed to react even to his smallest movement, always guaranteeing maximal stability and balance.

The horns were pretty cool as well, although he didn't know what he was supposed to do with them yet. Scales, Spikes… He loved his new form.

Igor was dead. He was certain he'd smelled the man's blood on Erza and Gray earlier. It didn't bother him at all. This piece of crap had deserved it for hurting his flock.

Speaking of which… Those three were walking a few paces behind him silently. He could sense their worry and light fear. It was like a very faint scent, something he hadn't been able to detect before. Could he do this with other people as well? It would become quite in handy during a fight.

He knew the others were worried about him. In their place, he'd probably be too. After everything they saw him go through during those last few days, it was no surprise they'd think like that, asking themselves if he was traumatized or if he was still the same Natsu they knew and so on, In his opinion, those were stupid questions. Of course he was. Maybe a bit more dragon than before, but who cared, right?

They had accepted him berfore, so why should it be a problem to them now? He knew that not everyone might do that so easily. Some might even be scared of him. It saddened him a great deal that some of his family might start to think of him of a threat, rather then a friend.

Sure, there were also those moments, when he felt guilty for worrying them like this, even scaring them like earlier. He had no control over his newly sharpened instincts, so what was he supposed to do? Accepting things as they were now would probably be the easiest way to deal with all this. Suppressing those instincts would only drive him mad anyways, so why bother?. He just wished the others could see and understand this as well.

He'd given this matter a lot of thought. When the others had fallen asleep last night, he'd made his way over to the lake he'd led them to earlier. Sitting down,, he had observed his reflection in the moonlight on it's surface. Strangely, it hadn't scared him. Actually, it had calmed him down quite a bit. The new way he was thinking and feeling, the urge to just let his instincts take over occasionally, it all had started to make sense. He wasn't feeling like a human now because he just wasn't one of them anymore. But he wasn't a full dragon either, so it made sense that he would act rather human at times as well.

Could he decide what he wanted to be? Was it even possible? Would he be trapped in between forever?

He'd spent hours staring at his own reflection, thinking about it. When he'd grown too tired, he'd made his way back to camp and had finally been able to sleep.

He'd made his choice. He'd just live normally, trying to be both. Dragon and Human.

This could prove to be hard, but like this, he wouldn't have to lose part of himself. It would be confusing for the others, that, he was sure of. They wouldn't know how to act around him at first.

He was sure there would come a time when he would have to explain all of this to the Guild. Maybe there would also be a day where he would need to decide what he wanted to be, but now wasn't it. He planned on continuing to live with the guilt, to go on jobs and to just continue his life like he'd been doing before.

Crossing his arms behind his head, he continued his walk through the forest, enjoying the company of his friends and the warm sunlight on his face whenever they crossed a clearing. It was peaceful now.

When the sun had risen to it's peak, they decided that it was time for a break.

Sitting under a huge fir tree was very relaxing. He closed his eyes, only listening to his friends' breathing and the whispering of the forest around them. He took in a deep breath, inhaling all the scents around them and marveling about, what he could smell now. Sure, there were animals, he'd been able to smell them before, but now, his range had increased and rather then a general direction, he was able to make out every single step it had taken, apparently even days after it had happened.

The range had increased as well. He knew where they were supposed to go because he could smell something… familiar. He wasn't sure if it was Magnolia, Fairy Tail, or just something that reminded him of his home, but he was sure it would lead them there anyways.

Suddenly, there was a scent, he'd recognize anywhere. They were still far away, maybe about a whole day's journey, but he was still sure it was them.

"So, they've sent someone after all, huh?"

The others looked at him. "What do you mean?"

"You'll see in a day or two, don't worry Erza."

"Natsu, There are a few things I am very curious about, do you mind me asking?"

He nodded his head. Maybe it would be better to reassure them a bit anyways. The three of them all had seemed a bit weary of him since this morning. He didn't want that. They were his family. Did they really believe he'd hurt them?

Just to think that hurt.

"Okay then. The first thing I want to know is what you can do now. It will be very important for all of us to know, don't you think?"

He had to agree with her on that. It could be dangerous for the others if they got into a fight and they didn't know which defenses they could employ and how effective an attack could be.

"What do you mean in particular?"

"Well, I… I don't really know where to start actually. But after this morning, I think there are just a few things that need to be talked through. You certainly agree with me on that, don't you?"

No, actually he didn't, but since she was a friend, he'd oblige her anyways.

"Okay then. I've still got my magic, but I don't know how strong or weak it is right now compared to what it was before. It feels a bit… different. I'll have to test it out later."

That much was true, although he was pretty sure it had become much stronger, rather then weaker.

"As I told you yesterday, my senses have improved as well. Everything else I'm not sure about. As I told you just now, I'd have to try before I can tell you anything else."

Erza didn't look convinced, but apparently decided to roll with it for now.

"What about this morning? I know you and Gray fight a lot, but this time you looked like you wanted to… actually hurt him.. To be honest, you looked like a wild animal or something like that. It worried me quite a bit to be honest."

He ducked his head apologetically before answering her.

"Instinct."

She just looked at him. "Explain."

So she wanted to do this now? Okay.

"Well, as you may have noticed, I'm not all human any mo-"

"Natsu! Stop it, don't even say that, of course you're still...-"

"NO1 Erza, That's just the point! I'm not!" He didn't even know why her comment upset him like this.

He felt insulted.

"Listen, I'm only telling you this once: He didn't just change my appearance, okay? I don't think like I used to, I don't see humans like I used to either. I don't even consider myself as one of them anymore!"

He knew what he'd said just now had hurt them.

The way they looked at him, the expression in their eyes… There was so much emotion in there. He could see it and he could smell it. Their anger, their fear and sadness, but also their confusion. Of course they didn't understand. They had been raised as humans by humans after all. He wasn't. Maybe he'd had a human's body for the longest part of his life, but that was over now.

"I'm sorry guys, maybe I should explain a bit further. Children who were raised by dragons don't learn to live like a human. We were raised to be as close to dragons in body, mind and soul as possible. You heard what they said about those dragon particles, right? Our parents knew that a transformation like this could happen, no matter what they did to prevent it, so I think they tried to prepare us for that in their own way."

They were listening to him very closely now. Lucy had tears in her eyes, Erza looked genuinely interested and Gray seemed to be rather pissed. Nothing out of the ordinary then. He continued.

"When I met you guys, I had no idea how to act around you. I had never spend time with your kind before, at least I don't remember doing so. I think you two," he turned to Gray and Erza, "may remember that time. I didn't act like you guys because I just didn't know how. This right now isn't much different from back then, only that I actually am at least half dragon now and that I am aware of what is going on. What happened this morning was just the way any dragon would have reacted to a provocation like that. I know how to ACT human now, but since I'm not one of you guys anymore, it wouldn't be more then that. I just want to be myself, which is now a lot more dragon-like then before."

"Yes, I do recall you being a bit… strange back then. Just after you joined, you still moved a bit strange and didn't seem to have any idea about human society as well."

He could see the curiosity in Lucy's eyes. After all, she was the only one of them that hadn't known him back then.

"Moved differently? How?"

"Idiot was always curling up to sleep, holding his hands like claws to fight and stuff, you know? Sometimes even growling a bit, but not like earlier…"

Gray's tone was still very defensive, almost hostile. Before he could snarl a retort, Erza efficiently stopped him by asking another question.

"So, you will continue to act like that?"

"Like what?" He couldn't keep the snarl out of his voice this time. What did she mean with that? He wasn't acting!

"Do I really need to explain it?"

Shaking his head, he rose to his feet. "Erza, in case you hadn't noticed or didn't listen to what I told you just now, This is just how things will be from now on. I am no human anymore, actually, I never really have been! For the first time since Igneel left, I feel like myself again. Please just accept this, okay?"

For a very long moment, he could see doubt in her eyes. Would she refuse him? Try to shape him back into the way he had been before? But then, the look faded and was replaced by a determined, yet gentle look.

"Okay, for now I will accept your decision. "

Natsu hadn't known he'd needed to hear this from his childhood friend so badly right now. Those words calmed his flaring temper and let him think a bit more clearly.

"Thank you. I'm sorry about earlier, but I can't help it. But you can still trust me, I'm not going to hurt you, you're my family." He could feel tears pricking at the corners of his eyes. Up until this point, he hadn't allowed himself to actually grieve for them. Of course, they weren't dead, but he thought they were, he had believed it wholeheartedly.

It had been the worst pain he'd ever felt in his life.

"When… when he told me you guys were dead I- I just...-" He couldn't continue. His emotions were all over the place. Everything that had happened those last few days, everything that was still going to happen, it all came crushing down on him in this very moment. He couldn't breathe, just thinking about it brought the pain and sorrow he'd felt back full force.

His friends were talking to him, trying to soothe him, to find out what was wrong, but he couldn't even understand what they were saying. Their gentle words turned into Igor's laughter, the soft grass of the forest into the stones of his cell. His friends turned to corpses and then, there was pain. Or was it the memory of it? He wasn't sure anymore.

A sharp stinging sensation on his cheek brought him back into reality. Blinking confuses, he stared into Erza's hazel eyes, those warm, alive eyes that he would recognize anywhere. Right behind her were Gray and Lucy, worried and pale.

Taking a few deep breaths, he managed to sit up. Strange, when had he fallen to the ground in the first place?

"Natsu? Hey Natsu, can you hear me? Come on, answer me!"

"E-Er-za?"

She nodded, carefully placing her hand in his hair, stroking it gently and massaging the spot between his horns lightly. Her hand was warm, alive. Even with the armored glove she was wearing.

He felt himself relax at her touch. Everything was okay, they were alive and well. Natsu could hear their heart beats and breathing. It did wonders to soothe his frayed nerves. He told this to himself over and over again. "S-sorry about that, I just…"

"It's okay, if anything I should be the one apologizing. I shouldn't have asked those questions so soon. I'm sorry."

"Yeah, me too, I shouldn't have reacted so aggressively, sorry flame-brain."

Wow, now Gray was apologizing to him? He must really look like crap right now if those humans- no if his friends acted like this.

"But what was that just now? You looked like you were having a panic attack or something-"

"Leave him for now Gray!"

"But Erza-"

"I said leave it!"

Grumbling, the dark haired teen retreated a few steps. Lucy looked confused, but didn't ask any more questions either.

"The only thing we need to know for now is that we can trust him and that he won't hurt us. We'll figure anything else out as time goes on." She turned to him and looked him in the eye. "Natsu, do you want to rest a bit before we continue? You look tired."

She was right, he did feel quite worn out. But he didn't want to waste any more time either. He just wanted to go home. He wanted to see the others, go fishing with Happy and fool around with Elfman and Gajeel. He wanted to go on quests together with his team. He missed all of them so much…

"Thank you Erza, but I really want to go home."

"Okay, I understand, but if you need a break, just say so. Your body will probably still need some time to recover from that transformation."

Slowly, they all got up and started walking again. This time however, they stayed together closely.

"N-Natsu, can I ask you something?"

He looked at the blond, then nodded. Her tone of voice indicated that whatever she wanted to know was important.

"Why did you believe him when he told you we were dead? I mean, Sure, he was cruel and evil, but still…"

That was a really good question. Why? Why had he allowed that monster to manipulate him like that? How could he ever have believed that this monster would have been able to kill those three exceptionally strong mages in the first place?

"I… I'm not sure. He didn't look like he was lying and he… he was-…" He didn't know how to continue. When Igor had told him, there had been no lie in his eyes. He had proved to be certainly cruel enough to do so and Natsu had been weakened considerably… Maybe a combination of all this? He shook his head.

They fell silent again, just walking. When the sun began to set again, they all needed to rest. Natsu was unimaginably tired. All this talking and walking and everything else had really taken a toll on him and he knew he couldn't hide it any longer. To his luck, the others had grown tired of walking as well and had started scouting for a place to set up camp.

When they finally had found a suitable spot, he almost collapsed to the ground. It took all his willpowe not to do so and to slowly lower himself down onto a bunch of fern bushes after drinking something and then curling up into a tight ball. When had been the last time he'd eaten anything? He couldn't remember and to be quite honest, he didn't care.

Closing his eyes, he listened to his friends basically doing the same as he was right now. He yawned, then stuck his head under one of his wings. Doing one last check of the surrounding area using his keen sense of smell and his hearing, he determined they were safe. With no immanent danger and his body's demand for sleep, he could feel himself drifting off.

**################################################################################**

**Well, an other chapter done.**

**I really hope you enjoyed reading this one as well. Leave me a review if you want, I always enjoy reading them.**

**See you guys next time**

**Nahesa **


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey everyone! **

**I know, it has been two months since I updated and I am very sorry I have kept you waiting for so long. I just lost interest in this story for a bit and worked on something else. **

**But now I'm back and I hope you'll all enjoy chapter seven**

**################################################################################**

After spending yet another night on the ground, Gray had enough. He just wanted to get home, take a shower and spend some time in his own bed. He was fairly certain everyone else felt just the same.

Okay, maybe not everyone. Natsu seemed actually to enjoy being outside like that. The Dragon Slayer always had, but not to this extend. It really seemed as if his salmon haired friend fit right into this, for humans not really suitable, environment. He didn't seem to mind the hard ground, the damp grass or the wind that was blowing through the trees at night.

In return, the forest seemed to readily accommodate the young mage as well. Insects seemed to steer clear of him and even while he slept, pine needles and leaves seemed to fall everywhere but on top of his resting form.

He seemed just so in tune with nature now, it was almost scary.

Natsu had always preferred to live anywhere but inside the city of Magnolia. Rather he'd chosen to build his house a bit outside of town, someplace quiet where no other people lived near. Gray had always wondered if that may have had something to do with Natsu never having lived among humans during his time with Igneel, or just simply with the fact that his sense of smell and his hearing were just too sensitive to live among this many people.

As he sat there, musing about his friend, said Dragon Slayer suddenly opened his, now bright yellow colored, eyes.

"Yo, Frosty, what are you starin' at?" His voice was still a bit slurred from sleep and if Gray had closed his eyes, he could almost have forgotten the situation they were in.

"Nothing flame brain, go back to sleep."

Growling lightly, Natsu uncurled from his position on the floor with one smooth movement, raising his wings and straightening his tail. Now sitting up, his horns and scales shimmered slightly in the soft glow of the morning sun.

This peaceful image however was destroyed, when Natsu opened his mouth and yawned widely, exposing his razor sharp fangs.

"No way ice princess, I'm awake now. What about the others?"

"Still sleeping. I'm only awake because I can't rest properly outside."

In silence, the two mages sat there, watching as the sun rose slowly over the horizon. It was already getting warmer by the minute. Today would probably get quite hot.

"Man, I'm hungry."

Natsu looked at him surprised. Wasn't he hungry as well? After all, they didn't exactly have much to eat since… Actually, had they eaten anything at all since they'd been taken at Hargeon? How long ago had that been now? Almost a week maybe?

"Do you want me to go catch something?" The offer was both unexpected and welcome at the same time. Getting some roasted meat for breakfast sounded like a very good idea and since he wasn't the best hunter when it came to normal animals, he nodded.

"Yeah, that would be great. I'm sure the others will be hungry as well once they wake up."

"Okay then, I wanted to try out those anyways." Flapping his wings a bit, Natsu got up and started to make his way into the forest.

"Hey, wait! If you're going to do that, then let me cone along, just in case!"

Hurrying after his friend, he stumbled through the shrubbery and really had to move fast in order to catch up to Natsu, who didn't seem to have any problems whatsoever walking through the dense undergrowth.

"Fine, but if you're going to be this noisy, I won't be able to catch anything."

After walking for a few more minutes, the two teens suddenly found themselves at the edge of a meadow. It looked almost like it was cut right out of a fairy tail. The huge clearing was surrounded by tall trees and in between the soft grass that was covering the ground were different kinds of small flowers. It looked almost to perfect.

"I found this place last night and thought it might be a good place for this."

Gray nodded wordlessly. This place really was suited perfectly for training. Of course, it hadn't escaped him that his friend had snuck away during the dark. He'd just assumed that Natsu needed some time to himself, so he hadn't followed him back then. "So, why didn't you try it out right away?"

"I just didn't feel like it."

Strange. This didn't sound like something his rival would say normally. Usually, Natsu always had a very good reason behind everything he did, or at least one, that made sense somehow. Because 'he didn't feel like it' really never had been among those before.

"Ooookay, I'll just sit down right here and wait until you're finished." Not even waiting for an answer, he did just that.

Shrugging, Natsu turned around and walked into the middle of the clearing. Standing still, he seemed to just relax for a few seconds. Then, he spread his wings, apparently as far as he could.

Seeing them like this was impressive. Gray hadn't noticed how big they were until now. The sun's rays were shining through the thin and delicate membrane that made up most of their surface, making them look almost golden. He could even make out thin veins spider-webbing through the membrane.

And then, as if he'd always known how to do it, Natsu took a few quick steps, while simultaneously flapping his wings forcefully. Then, his feet left the ground and he started to gain altitude.

At first, the whole thing looked a bit shaky, but after a few minutes, The salmon head seemed to have gotten the hang of it. Laughing madly, he soared around the clearing like he'd been born to do so. With a triumphant roar, he flew even higher. After hovering for a minute, he then slowly flew back down and actually managed to land safely without falling on his face.

Gray had to suppress a grin. He'd never seen his friend look quite this happy before.

"So then, done for now?"

Grinning widely, Natsu looked at him. "Nah, still need to catch breakfast." This time, he took off without even having to do a running start or anything. It was really amazing how fast he managed to learn to control that new body of his.

Soon, the half dragon was out of sight.

Gray just hoped they'd manage to get back to camp before Erza woke up. She'd surely be pissed when she noticed they had snuck away without telling her. He shivered involuntarily. Erza's wrath was nothing to joke about after all.

He decided to wait another five minuted before heading back. In case she had awoken already, he wanted to at least get back and explain on his own instead of her coming and finding him herself.

Just then, an armored hand painfully clamped down on his shoulder.

**################################################################################**

The second she woke up, Erza immediately knew that something was off.

It was way too quiet.

Taking a look around, it was relatively easy to spot the reason, or lack thereof, why. Natsu and Gray were both missing.

The rational part of her brain knew of course that this could have many reasons, most of them harmless. But after the events of the last few days, she immediately assumed the worst. Had Igor come back somehow? Had someone else noticed Natsu and decided he'd make a nice souvenir?

Trying to calm her thoughts, she shook her head. If something like this would have happened, Natsu wouldn't have gone quietly. The missing of any signs of a struggle pointed to a harmless reason for the boy's absence as well.

Erza could still hear Natsu's pained screams and see his agony whenever she closed her eyes. Those images were almost as haunting as the ones she still remembered from her time at the tower of heavens.

Deciding that looking for the two of them would be better then just sitting around and waiting would be the best cause of action, she knelt down besides Lucy, She shook the girls shoulder in order to rouse her.

"Lucy? Hey, wake up, we have a problem." The girl woke immediately, getting up while rubbing the sleep out of her eyes

"Wha-...What is it Erza? "-"

"Come on, Natsu and Gray have disappeared, we need to go look for them right away!"

Immediately, she was fully awake and prepared to go. "What?! You don't think it's Igor, do you?"

She shook her head. "I don't think so, I'm pretty sure he's dead. I'm not sure if anything serious has happened, or if they just decided to take off somewhere. We'll need to look for them anyways, just to make sure."

Lucy nodded, her face now pale and serious. "I hope you're right Erza."

Looking around for a bit, she noticed a path that had only very recently been made in the undergrowth. "Lucy, over here!"

The blond followed her immediately. It didn't take them long until they reached the edge of the forest. And there, sitting under a tree as if nothing was wrong at all, was Gray, staring up into the sky, apparently without a care in the world.

Feeling rage boil under her skin, she quietly marched over to him. When she'd reached the ice mage, she clamped her hand on his shoulder, making him flinch violently.

"E-Erza I-"

"Gray? Where. Have. You. Been?" She only barely managed not to yell at him.

"Ehh, Erza, we just ahh,...-"

"Well? Explain!"

"Aye!"

It was really funny, how easily she could make him squirm like that. Once she knew where their resident dragon had run off to, he'd be next.

"Well, I was awake really early, and then Natsu woke up too and we decided to go and find some food. Natsu said he could go and hunt something since he'd wanted to try flying today anyways. Then we went here and he actually managed to fly pretty fast. I don't know where he's now, only that he said he'd go hunting. Then, he flew off again."

"I see. And none of you thought it would be a good idea to tell at least one of us where you were going?"

"You guys were sleeping and we just-"

"Gray, Erza is right, we were really worried that something might have happened to you guys!"

"Sorry Lucy, We really didn't mean to and we were planning to get back before you woke up."

"Well, that may be true Gray, but that doesn't change the fact that the two of you should have said something!"

Before Erza could continue, her rant, they could hear something above them. It sounded like rushing wind combined with the sound one would associate with the wings of a huge bird taking flight. Looking up, she saw something flying towards them at high speed.

A second later, it flew over them and something heavy dropped to the ground right next to her feet. Looking more closely, she could see that it was a young deer.

A gust of wind caused her to protectively close her eyes and when she opened them again, Natsu had landed right next to his prey.

"Good morning Erza, Lucy!" With a toothy grin, he waved at them. "I caught us some breakfast."

She could do nothing but stare at him. Natsu's face, as well as his hands and claws were covered in blood, as were his teeth. She totally forgot that she'd intended to yell at him just now.

"I… I see, let's just go back to camp." everyone nodded, as Natsu picked up the dead animal in front of them. Taking a look at the animals neck, she almost lost her appetite again. It looked like it had been ripped open by an angry predator. Bits of flesh were hanging off of it and blood was still dripping to the ground.

His smile slightly faltered, but he followed her anyways. Once back, they lit a fire, skinned and dressed their meat and then preceded to roast it. Well, all except for Natsu, who'd started to devour his piece as it was. Raw and bloody.

Once breakfast was finally over and Natsu had cleaned up, they started moving again.

Soon, they'd left the forest behind completely and were wandering down a path that was leading through a few fields. Erza didn't like this. They were way to exposed like that. If one of the farmers that owned the fields here, or anyone else really, saw them, she was certain, Natsu would attract unwanted attention.

When the sun had reached it's highest point, they could make out a group of people in the far distance. Without thinking, she shoved Natsu behind the nearest boulder.

"Stay there, people are coming!"

"But Erza-"

"I said stay!"

She, Gray and Lucy slowly continued walking, in order not to draw attention to themselves. Soon though, she noticed something familiar about the three people that were walking towards them.

Shimmering white hair and a flowing dress, A small girl with long pigtails and a huge man wearing a black cloak. Could that really be? Had they really run into those three?

Not believing their luck, they waited for their comrades to reach them.

"Thank god, Erza, Gray, Lucy! When you didn't return, we were so worried!" Wendy was the first one to reach them, tears of joy flowing freely from her eyes. "Are you guys okay? Are you injured anywhere?"

"No, were fine, but-"

"Erza! So good to see you, Master was so worried!" Mira was the next one to reach her. A genuine smile on her face, the albino women enveloped each one of them in a tight hug. "What happened? It's really not like you to vanish just like that."

"Trust us, we didn't have much of a choice on the matter." Gray's dry comment did nothing to calm her down.

"What, why? Did someone attack you? Did-"

"Now now Mirajane, let her explain in peace."

"But Gildarts I-"

The ginger haired man just shook his head. "If we want to know what happened to them, we need to let them talk, don't you agree? Although I understand your worry." Turning back to her, he looked at the knight with a very serious expression in his eyes. "Erza, that said, there is one thing I do want to ask you. Where is Natsu? He was with you guys, right?"

She nodded. "Yes, but you see… I don't even know how I should explain that one…"

Wendy, who'd followed their conversation until now, inhaled deeply, smelling the air and then opened her eyes in surprise. "Don't worry Gildarts, I think he's here as well, although something about his scent is a bit… odd."

The elder man looked at her. "Odd? How?"

"I'm not sure, it's definitely him, but at the same time, it isn't."

"Erza?"

"Yes, I was getting to that. I think it may be easier if we just showed you." Turning around, She waved in the direction of the boulder she'd hidden Natsu behind earlier. For a few seconds, nothing happened and she was afraid, he hadn't seen her signal, but then, he emerged and slowly walked towards them. Turning back to the others, she could see the terror and confusion clearly on their faces.

Now, she wasn't so sure anymore that it had been a good idea not to tell them beforehand.

**################################################################################**

Gildarts didn't know what to think. He'd been happy when Wendy had said that Natsu was with them, after all, he'd known the kid for years now. But that, what was walking toward them right now, didn't look like his little friend at all anymore. Except for the salmon colored head of hair and his general build, there wasn't much left of the old Natsu Dragneel.

Scales, Wings, tail, horns, talons… And there was no telling what else.

"What...How?" He was at a loss for words. Wendy and Mira seemed to shocked to speak as well. The little girl looked ready to cry and Mira was covering her mouth in shock.

Natsu seemed to be able to sense their confusion, at least it seemed like it since he stopped a little distance away from them, looking at them skeptically out of slitted, yellow pupils.

Gildarts had to suppress a shiver. Those weren't the eyes of a human anymore. They reminded him way to much of the eyes of that monster Acnologia if he was quite honest with himself. The only difference was the color and the fact, that his friend's gaze didn't hold any hostility or blood lust what so ever.

Mira seemed to be the first one to regain her composure. After all, this didn't look too different from her in her Satan soul form.

Tentatively walking towards him, she carefully extended her hand and, when she reached him, placed it on his cheek. "There you are Natsu, we were worried when we didn't see you right away."

"Hey there Mira."

The moment he spoke, it seemed as if a spell had been broken. The simple sound of his voice, and the fact that it hadn't changed, made it clear to them, that this was still their Natsu.

Wendy ran forward and hugged him, careful not to touch is wings in case she might accidentally hurt them.

Deciding that he should say something, he put his hand to the back of his head and grinned. "There you are kiddo, mind telling me what's up with that new look?"

"Hey old man!" A clearly forced smile on his face, Natsu returned his greeting.

Now that this was out of the way, he turned back to Erza, who'd been watching the whole scenario with a frown on her face "Well Titania, I think we need to find some place to sit down and talk."

She nodded. "Yes, I think that would be best, although I would suggest finding someplace a bit more secluded then this."

"Yes, I think that might be best." There was no telling what might happen if they ran into travelers out here. With Natsu like this, they'd sure get quite the scare out of seeing him.

The scarlet haired knight turned to Natsu. "Would you mind searching for a place we could use to make camp? It should be someplace we all can reach until sundown."

Natsu nodded, then spread his wings, and to the three newcomer's surprise, flew off.

Gildarts whistled impressed

Once Natsu was out of sight, He turned back to the others. "Okay then, start talking. I'm sure you didn't just send him off to find someplace to sleep later."

Sighing, Erza nodded. "You're right, I don't think it would be good for him to be reminded of all that has happened so soon."

Judging by the worried look on her face, this was serious.

They all walked back to the boulder Natsu had hidden behind earlier and sat down. Taking a deep breath, Erza started recounting everything that had happened in their absence.

As the minutes went by and the story went further and further, Gildarts and his two companions got more and more horrified. What Erza told them was so dark and gruesome, he had trouble to actually believe everything she said. By the end of it, The girls had started crying and he himself had to really restrain himself in order to not destroy something out of rage. The only good thing she told them was, that the monster who'd done that, had been killed by herself and Gray already.

"There is something else you should know as well."

"And what would that be? There can't be more, can there?"

"Sadly, there is. You see, Natsu does not only look different, his behavior has changed as well. You can't expect him to react like he used to with some things."

Gray nodded. "She's right Old man, Yesterday, we were arguing, and he went totally feral. He was snarling and acting more like an animal then anything else. When we asked him about this, he told us it had been instinct or something like that."

Okay, this was concerning. As long as they didn't know how far this went, they couldn't let him go on jobs or let him out of their sight. If there was any risk of him acting like this towards clients, the guild could get in quite some trouble.

"Well, that's not good."

"Yeah, you can say that again. We also haven't determined the state, his magic is in. He hasn't used it once since we escaped."

"What?!" This was even more concerning. Normally, the boy was using his magic often, and for all purposes. For him not doing that for days could only mean two things. Either, he couldn't use it, or he didn't want to for some reason.

Before they could continue, They made out the sound of wings above them. Hovering in mid air, Natsu waved at them. "I found a nice spot about two miles from here, just a bit further north."

Erza gave him a thumbs up. "Good work, lead the way!"

Slowly flying in front of them, he did just that. Gildarts really had to marvel at how well this new body seemed to work for the salmon haired teen. The way he moved was so elegant and effortless, it looked as if it had always been meant to be like that. Judging by the look on Wendy's face, she was thinking something along the same lines. Mira on the other hand, was happily chatting with Gray and Lucy, who just seemed to enjoy a normal conversation for once.

How would they explain this to the guild? Of course, Master had to know the whole story, no question about that, but what about the rest? They would need to find a version to tell them, that would maybe not include every detail.

For example, they couldn't tell everyone that Erza had plainly killed the bastard. Even if he deserved it, she'd still be punished for it by the council. It would probably be better to keep the details about the torture Natsu had gone through under wraps as well. There was no need for the entire guild to get nightmares because of that.

Well, whatever happened, Master would be pissed anyways.

**################################################################################**

To be quite honest, Natsu was happy to have gotten away from everyone for a bit. He'd of course known that he'd have to face the rest of the guild sooner or later, but still… The fear and hesitation he'd sensed from those three had really hurt him. Of course, he'd smiled and waved it off in order not to worry the others, but that didn't really change the fact that it still had been quite painful to see that his family's first reaction after seeing him like this had been fear.

Even old man Gildarts had seemed scared of him. Was he really that much of a monster?

Slowly flying further towards Magnolia, he continued to search for a place to make camp. He really wasn't in a hurry to return, especially since he was sure, Erza had only send him ahead in order to talk to them about everything that had happened without him listening.

Well, they'd just have to accept it, hadn't they? The only thing he could do if they couldn't was leaving Fairy Tail, and he'd never do that. He just hoped it wouldn't come that far. He was sure, Gramps wouldn't send him away. But if even Mira, Wendy and Gildarts were scared of him, what about everyone else?

Frowning, he suddenly made out a group of trees in the middle of nowhere. Deciding to check this out, he started to decent towards them. Once he was on the ground safely, he slowly and quietly made his way underneath the trees. The cool shade was a welcome change from the burning hot sun that had mercilessly beamed down upon them since this morning.

The trees here were old. Their trunks easily being to thick for him to completely reach around them. Thick roots were covering the ground, forming nest-like holes from time to time. They looked really comfortable. By the smell of the place, no one else had been here in quite some time.

This place was perfect. Through the silence, he could pick up on the sound of running water and after walking for a few minutes, he found a small spring. Deciding that he wouldn't be able to find a better spot, he spread his wings and started to make his way back to where he'd left the others.

He'd only flown for the first time on his own this morning, but he was loving it already. The wind in his hair and under his wings, as well as the sheer vastness of the sky and the countless possibilities as to where he could go… It was pure heaven.

For a few seconds, he allowed his mind to wander off and think about what it would be like to just… fly away and not return to the others. Part of him knew that he'd miss them terribly, but an almost equally strong part told him to just forget about them and continue flying. He could feel his chest vibrate lightly as he purred at the thought of that.

Would they even mind if he disappeared? They'd have a lot less problems if he just didn't return. They'd be able to just go home and continue on with their normal and fun life at the Guild without him.

Logically he was aware that those thoughts only came from the dragon part of his mind, after all, the weren't known to live in big groups.

His human part however hurt terribly at the mere thought of leaving his family behind.

Flapping his wings faster, he hurried back. If he took any longer, he feared that his dragon half would win and he'd simply fly away.

Those conflicting thoughts thankfully disappeared the moment he laid eyes on his friends.

Once they were on their way together, he'd decided to rather fly instead of walking. After all, that was what his body was build to do now.

During th whole time it took them to reach the small oasis he'd found, only Mira spoke, chatting happily about everything and everyone in order to lighten the mood a bit.

So he'd been right to assume Erza had used the time to fill them in on what had happened then. He could still smell the salt from tears and the anger that was surrounding the others like a dark cloud.

Once at their destination, he flew up into the highest tree he could find, tucked himself under his wings and tried to sleep. He didn't feel like talking right now.

Tomorrow, they'd reach Magnolia. He could smell the city from here already.

Dreading and simultaneously looking forward to tomorrow, he finally fell asleep.

**################################################################################**

**So, that's it, another chapter done.**

**I hope you guys enjoyed reading this. Please review and like or follow if you want to read more.**

**See you guys next time**

**Nahesa**


	8. Chapter 8

**He everyone! **

**I know it's been a while since my last update for this story and I'm very sorry I've kept you waiting. **

**Well, anyways, have fun with chapter eight.**

**################################################################################**

As the night went on, Natsu continued to think about what would happen the next day. Of course, he was looking forward to seeing everyone again, especially Gramps. Maybe the old mad would be able to accept him and help everyone else do just the same.

All his thoughts managed to keep him up during most of the night. Once the sun rose, he hadn't gotten more sleep then maybe an hour. Since the others were still sleeping, he decided to stay where he was for the time being, perched on his branch atop the huge tree he had spend the night in. As Natsu continued to wait for his guild mates to wake up, birds and insects started to fill the open air inside and around the forest.

The gentle buzzing of small wings as well as the flapping of bigger ones calmed him down. It reminded him of the time he'd spend in the air himself the previous day. His shoulders started to itch lightly and he felt the urge to join all the other winged creatures out there.

He looked back down onto the ground. Damn, the others were still sleeping. After Erza's warning the day before, he didn't dare to leave his spot and go flying. He was certain the knight would be furious when he was gone once again when she woke up. Growling quietly, he curled back up and continued to wait.

After approximately another hour, he finally started to hear noises from below. Gratefully, the half dragon got to his feet and stretched. Finally!

Extracting hiss claws from the tree bark below his feet, he carefully spread his wings and glided down through the tree branches, grinning happily at the sensation of wind beneath the sensitive membrane. Way to soon, it was over and he was back on solid ground, carefully walking to the area his friends had spend the night in.

"Good morning everyone, ready to go?"

Erza looked at him with a raised eyebrow, while Gildarts curled up tightly under his black cloak. "Damn it kid, why so eager to get going?" The man sounded as if he was still half asleep.

"who says I am?"

He couldn't very well tell them that he only wanted to leave so he could fly again, right? The others surely couldn't understand how he was feeling. The craving for the wide and open sky as well as the ecstatic feeling he got while soaring through the air was something completely foreign to them.

By now everyone was awake, slowly getting to their feet. Lucy, Erza, Mira and Wendy were the first ones to leave for the near by spring in order to wash themselves and to prepare for the day. In the mean time, He, Gray and Gildarts were discussing what to do for breakfast and when to continue their journey.

To his relief, He was the one that got send out to find some food. As soon as he was out of the trees, he spread his wings and took off.

He couldn't believe how good it felt to be up in the air again. For the moment, he decided to just follow his instinct as he continued to gain altitude and speed in a matter of seconds. Far below him, he could see the fields passing by, only the occasional building destroying the even landscape.

Way too soon, he remembered why he was out there in the first place. Sad frown on his face, he turned around and started focusing on the few movements he could make out far below him.

Since they now were more then four people, a few rabbits wouldn't be enough anymore. Hunting some farmers livestock would be out of the question as well. After all, he was still a wizard of fairy tail and a proud guild mage, he didn't steal, at least not, until there really was no other way to feed his family.

Thankfully, those weren't the only big animal out here. Gliding a bit lower, he could make out a group of deer that were huddled together in the far corner of one of the meadows that weren't used for farming. Smiling and licking his lips, folded his wings and let himself fall right above the unsuspecting animals below. The wind whizzed past his sensitive ears as he approached his pray faster and faster. Just as he was right above the largest one of them he unfolded his majestic wings and used his sharp claws to rip into the deer's neck. While landing on top of it, he could hear a satisfying crunch as its neck broke.

The poor animal had died before it even knew what happened.

While the other deer were running away in panic, he inspected his catch. It was a beautiful and quite large doe. Her lifeless eyes peacefully staring into nothingness. Of course he didn't feel bad for killing it. A few weeks ago, he would have felt at least some remorse for taking such a majestic animals life, but now? Now, he wasn't feeling anything, The animal's death had simply been a necessity for the survival and well being of the people he held most dear.

Inhaling deeply, he noticed the sweet scent of blood. It made his moth water and his stomach growl. Shaking his head to get rid of the greedy feeling that was overtaking him and prompting him to just sink his fangs right into his pray, he spread his wings again and, after making sure he had a firm grip on the dead animal, started to make his way back towards where the others were surely waiting for him by now.

**################################################################################**

Wendy wasn't surprised to find Natsu gone once she and the other woman got back from taking care of their morning routine. She had noticed his scent getting further and further away, until it had disappeared completely.

Of course, she wouldn't pretend to understand even in the slightest what was going on with the boy she considered an older brother. But still, from everyone here, she still thought of herself as the one to understand his situation the best.

Since she had been raised by a dragon as well, she could easily make out the changes in behavior her friend had gone through. Sure, Natsu had always acted more like a dragon then anything else, still though, since having known a dragon and lived with one for years, she could now read him better then ever.

The strange, cheerful behavior he'd displayed earlier was obviously restlessness. She'd often seen Grandine act in a similar fashion when she didn't get to move or fly the way she wanted. The forced, happy behavior, the slight twitching of his wings and the fact that he didn't seem able to stand still for a second had clearly shown, that he'd needed to get moving.

One other thing she'd noticed the day before had actually worried her. Wendy had hoped her friend had at least remained mostly human on the inside, but after one single look into those amber eyes, her hopes were shattered. The only thing she could say that described what she'd seen then was the word 'annimalistic'.

Shaking her head, she tried to clear her mind of those dark thoughts. Surely, this Natsu wouldn't be much different then the old one, right?

"Hey little lady, everything alright?" A huge, but gentle hand on her shoulder and the deep and friendly voice of Gildarts managed to re direct her focus to something else.

"Yes, I was just thinking, thank you." Bowing slightly, she showed him her gratitude for his concern.

"Nah, don't worry about it, you were thinking 'bout Natsu, right?"

Nodding, she looked at him. "Gildarts-san, do you think things will go back to the way they were once everything has settled down a bit?"

The man in front of her seemed to deflate slightly, as a dark look made itself at home in his eyes. "Listen Wendy, I'm sorry to say this, but I don't think so. I mean, even if the guild accepts him like he is now, I'm afraid he'll never bee the same Natsu we knew."

She could feel teas forming in her eyes. Gildarts was the one who knew Natsu best, and if he said that things couldn't go back to normal, was there even any hope left for their friend at all?

Apparently sensing her sadness and seeing her face, he stroked her head. "Don't worry, I don't think it is going to be too bad, so try not to get too upset, okay?"

Nodding teary eyed she managed to smile a bit. "Tank you Gildarts-san, I do actually feel a little better now."

Just as the finished up their conversation, they could her the rustling of wings above them as the topic of their conversation landed a few meters away, just after dropping a dead, and quite big, animal right in the middle of their group.

Choosing not to question this, the young girl just turned around and welcomed her brother figure back. Everything would be fine. There was just no way he could be too different from the way he had been before.

After eating breakfast, they finally continued their way towards Magnolia.

To their luck, they didn't meet many people on their way to the city. And the few they actually did meet, didn't care much for their presence, since Gildarts had covered Natsu up with his cloak. The half dragon hadn't liked this very much, but at least seemed to understand why this was necessary. Wendy was just glad, he hadn't made a big fuss about it.

For passing travelers, they seemed no different from any other group of traveling mages like this.

She still felt a bit uneasy when thinking about what everyone at home would say about the state Natsu was in, but apparently, they had bigger problems right now. Just as they had sat down a bit off the road in order to rest their feet for a few minutes before they would walk the remaining distance back home, it happened.

Natsu had flown off in order to stretch his wings for a bit, apparently feeling a little uneasy on the ground. At first, She'd only heard the snap of a twig, and then, in only the blink of an eye, they were completely surrounded.

Thankfully, these people didn't look too strong. Now that she was actually taking a closer look at them, she almost started to pity the group that was currently trying to rob them. They looked thin and worn out, their clothes merely consisting of hastily sown together pieces of cloth. With her sensitive nose, she also managed to pick up the scent of sickness that hung heavily in the air around them.

Her instinct as a healer told Wendy to not fight them and instead make sure they got something to eat. Sadly, this weren't the first bandits she'd seen that had been in this state. Due to the increased activity of guilds much like her own, those people didn't have it easy. For people without magic to rob those, who possessed it wasn't easy after all.

Erza, Mira and Gildarts seemed to think something along the same lines since they hadn't even bothered to deploy their magic at all. Gray and Lucy were obviously prepared to strike, but hadn't done so either.

"Hey now fellas, why don't you calm down and we can see what we can do for you, alright?" Gildarts had turned directly to the oldest one out of the group of attackers. "I'm pretty sure, none of you really want to do this, right?"

With a gentle smile, she tried to reinforce, what the older mage just had offered. "He's right, we really don't want to have to fight you."

The bandit leader opened his mouth in order to answer, but he never got the chance to do so.

Before anyone had even registered what had happened to the man, his body dropped to the floor.

A second later, his comrades met the same fate as their leader. The only thing they managed to make out before their death was a red blur that moved almost too fast for the human eye to see. Only the occasional flame in between all this told Wendy, who exactly was massacring those poor people.

The last bandit met his end and the movement around them stopped. Natsu was now perched on top of his last victim's chest while he extracted his fangs from the man's throat. Blood dripped from his mouth as well as his claws.

Wendy was sure, she was screaming. The only thing she could make however out was the dull roar of rushing blood in her ears as she helplessly watched the half dragon in front of them lick his lips and expose his razor sharp teeth in a frightening snarl.

The others in their group were showing the same terror on their faces, she was feeling right now.

In this very second, their lovable and compassionate Dragon Slayer had turned into a vicious beast. There was no trace of humanity left in those burning eyes.

She sunk to her knees as the tears began to fall. Had she really just been thinking that Natsu would just go back to the guild end everything would be as it had been before? How on earth could she have been this naive? She had been raised by a dragon for heaven's sake! She knew better then anyone that those creatures weren't like humans at all! Sure, Dragons weren't evil and bloodthirsty monsters like many people thought, but they weren't tame and civilized either. They had their own way of thinking and acting.

Sure, Natsu wasn't a full blooded dragon, but he wasn't human anymore either, and if Wendy had to pick, she'd tell anyone, that the salmon haired teen definitely was more dragon then human by now.

Staring at her friend, whom she could barely make out through all the tears, she could only manage one single word.

"Why?"

It wasn't more then a choked whisper, but she was sure he'd heard her anyways.

That single word seemed to have broken the spell everyone had been under and all hell broke loose.

**################################################################################**

Erza couldn't believe her eyes. Had all of this really just happened?

Of course she was aware that Natsu was capable of killing if need be, but to simply slaughter a whole group of people just like that, when there really had been no need for it?

"Why?"

Wendy's desperate sob broke the paralysis she had been under. Before Erza even knew what she was doing, she was holding one of her swords and was charging at the salmon head in front of them.

Just when her blade had reached his throat, she stopped. Natsu himself wasn't moving. He was just staring at her, a look of pure confusion in his amber eyes, as if he didn't understand what was going on.

"Why the HELL did you kill them?" Her anger made her voice shake. She was so… shocked and angry at what he'd done just now, she couldn't even yell at him. "They weren't planing to hurt us, they only needed food!"

He still just stared at her with those flaming eyes. It took all she had not to punch him, shake him and demand answers. Apparently, Gray didn't have a fuse quite as long as hers.

"DAMN IT FLAME BRAIN! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU JUST DID?" She was roughly shoved aside as Gray grabbed their comrade and violently shook him. "They didn't do ANYTHING to deserve this!"

"They attacked you." This simple, and surprisingly emotionless, admission pushed Gray and herself over the edge. The ice mage landed a solid hit in his rivals face, while she herself couldn't help but to strike him hard with the back of her sword, hitting his stomach in the process.

"We do NEVER kill! How could you simply ignore one of our most sacred rules just like that?!" While yelling, she rose her weapon again. The first hit didn't seem to have fazed Natsu at all. However, just when the sword was about to make contact with his scaled skin again, Erza's hand was grabbed and the blade stopped mere milometers from its target.

Angrily turning around, she was surprised to find Gildarts holding her arm while Mira was doing her best to keep Gray from trying to murder Natsu.

"Stop it Erza. I know you're angry, but-"

"Let go! I don't care if the two of you are close! Something like this can't go unpunished. You know our rules and principles just as well as I do!"

The older man nodded. "Of course. And this has nothing to do with our relationship. I just don't think we'll be able to solve this right here and now. Let Master deal with this once we're back home!" He looked just as angry as she was feeling.

And there was something else. In his eyes, she could make out something like sadness and grief. Of course, how could she have forgotten? Natsu was almost like a son to him and to see said child act like this, completely changed from what and who he used to be must be horrible. She could understand him good. After all, Natsu was like a brother to her and seeing him like this… hurt. And more so then she could ever describe.

"You're right, sorry." With a sigh, she let her sword disappear again. Looking at Gray, she shook her head. Seeing this, the teen stopped fighting Mira and relaxed, if only a little bit.

Taking a deep breath, she turned back to where Natsu was still crouched down on top of the man he'd just killed. Something akin to uncertainty was now visible in his eyes.

"Natsu? Why did you kill them?" It was really hard to keep her voice calm, but yelling at him hadn't done her any good so far, so she tried it with a little bit of a softer approach.

Growling, Natsu ducked his head and looked at her. "They attacked you."

"Yes, you said that earlier, but you could just have chased them away, right?"

Snarling, he shook his head. "They would have come back." There was no doubt in his voice. He seemed completely at ease with what he'd done just now. This cold and uncaring behavior scared and angered her at the same time.

It was getting harder and harder to keep the emotion out of her voice. "You didn't know that!"

He only shrugged, slightly moving his wings in the process and shaking his horned head at the same time.

"E-erza…?"

Turning around, she looked at Wendy, who'd just spoken. Apparently, the girl had calmed down enough to at least make some sense of the situation.

"I… I don't think he understands why you think it's wrong what he just did."

"But Wendy… Killing is wrong, no matter how one looks at it!" Apparently, Lucy had found her voice again as well. Their celestial mage was still pale and looked like she'd either cry or throw up during the next few seconds.

The blue haired Dragon Slayer shook her head. "Well, no, of course for a human, it's wrong to do so, but when you look at it from a dragon's perspective, it isn't."

"That Idiot ISN'T an frikkin' dragon!" Gray still looked like he wanted to hit something very badly right about now. "He's still a Fairy Tail wizard!"

With a sad expression in her eyes, Wendy looked at all of them. "But he isn't human either."

There really was nothing anyone could say to that. Erza grit her teeth. She'd really hoped it wouldn't be as bad as this.

While they had been discussing things, Natsu had retreated under one of the bushes surrounding the clearing they had made camp in, warily watching everything that was going on.

**################################################################################**

Mira looked on as her red headed rival and friend seemed to struggle with what Wendy just had said.

When they'd met up with her, Lucy, Gray and Natsu the day before, she'd immediately known that Natsu wasn't completely there anymore. Since she worked with demonic creatures, she was well aware where to look for the difference between humans and other creatures. And what she'd seen in Natsu's eyes had definitely not been human.

Seeing him kill a bunch of people in only a blink of an eye had been horrible, that was for sure, but it hadn't really come as a surprise for the albino. Of course, she would have preferred him not to do it, but this was something they couldn't change now anyways.

Silently, she followed their discussion for a couple more minutes. Why were they even bothering? Master would be the one to decide what to do next anyways. In her opinion, the most important thing was, to get back home as fast as possible.

Just then, she noticed that Natsu had vacated his previous spot and was now barely visible under the thick leaves of a few bushes growing near by.

Silently walking over to where he was, she sat down beside him and carefully took a closer look at the scaled teen. Motionless, he was watching the others talk, a slightly scared expression in his eyes.

Reaching out to him, she carefully patted his head, taking care not to hurt herself on his sharp horns. "Don't worry about it to much Natsu, we'll be home soon and then, you can talk to the Master about it, okay?" Taking his hand, she smiled at him. "They'll just need some time to get used to all of this, you know?"

Confused, he looked at her. "Aren't you scared Mira? I mean, why can you just accept me like this while the others can't?"

"Oh come on Natsu, with my Satan soul technique, I'm not completely human myself, remember? This doesn't bother me at all And I'm sure the others will learn to not let this bother them as well." She really felt pity for him. Didn't the others see that what they were doing wasn't helping their comrade at all?

"I just don't understand why they are so angry, I mean, I just wanted to protect them from those bandits." He looked so sad and confused, it almost broke her heart.

"I think they do know that you only did this to protect them. They only didn't like that you killed them without even asking any questions before."

"But… I didn't know what else to do! It was the only thing that felt right."

Oh my, How was she going to handle this? Of course, she didn't approve of him killing them either, but she understood at least, why he'd done it. After all, the demon's under her control had the instinct to instantly kill their enemies as well. Actually, it had taken her years to completely control and suppress this feeling while using them.

"Don't worry too much, I'm sure they'll understand. I just think we'll need to work a bit on controlling those instincts of yours and then you'll be good to go." Of course she wouldn't tell him how hard it had been for her to learn how to control this when she was younger. Actually, Mira wasn't even sure he could learn this at all.

There was still a huge difference between learning to control an other's behavior, and ones own.

"Do you think the others at the guild will be okay with me like this?"

Well, she hadn't expected a question like that. "Maybe not everyone, but I think most of them will. But I really don't think this matters much as long as you are contempt with yourself."

He nodded. "Actually, this feels as if it should always have been like this in the first place. To be quite honest, I never really felt complete as a human, so maybe this is for the best."

Before she could say anything else, heavy steps came their direction.

Looking up, she saw Gildarts walking towards them. "You guys coming? We're heading out again."

She looked at Natsu. "Well then, let's get home."

Nodding, his grip on her hand fastened as he rose to his feet and started walking after her as they made their way over to the others.

Soon, they would be back at Fairy Tail. Mira still had her doubts about weather or not they really would accept Natsu like that. If it had only been his appearance that had been changed, there wouldn't be a problem, but with his personality that wasn't the same anymore as well, things could very well get complicated.

She just hoped, Master would have at least some idea about how to handle this properly.

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**So then, another one done. I hope you enjoyed reading. And don't worry, next chapter, they'll get back to the guild.**

**Leave me a comment and follow this story if you want to stay updated. **

**Check out my other stories as well if you're interested.**

**See you guys next time!**

**nahesa**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey there! **

**Thank you all for supporting this story so far. I really appreciate all the time everyone of you puts into reading this.**

**Also, I want to apologize for this story's slow progress. Currently I'm in the middle of preparations for my final exams as a hotel professional and I'm working on an other story at the same time as well.**

**I hope you'll enjoy chapter 9**

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Master Makarov was worried. Last night, he'd been filled in on what had happened with Natsu's group the day before via lacrima.

It appeared, his dear dragon child had suffered more at this despicable man's hands then he'd expected. As Master, he needed to keep Fairy Tail's interests in mind, especially since the Magic Council was watching them all the time anyways. Having one of his mages involved in an incident like this could very well prove to be quite dangerous for the guild.

Of course, kicking Natsu out was the last thing he wanted to do. Sighing, he shook his head. How on earth had that man even managed to do what he had done in the first place? Dragons were among the strongest of all magical creatures and to have that guy break a spell one of them had worked on for years sure was impressive.

How would the others react? He had informed the majority of his mages about Natsu's current condition, however he'd left out the detail about what had happened to this group of bandits. He'd merely stated the fact, that the young Dragon Slayer was now looking a bit different from before.

Now, all of those still present were quietly talking among themselves. The tension in the air could almost be felt with bare hands. His children seemed nervous and on edge. They were used to Natsu getting in to trouble more often then not, but this was different. None of them had been given any specifics so far, so of course speculations were running wild among everyone.

Gildarts had told him they'd be back sometime today. It was already past noon and still, there was no sign of them anywhere.

If they wouldn't get back during the next hour, he'd have to send out another search party.

From the very start of this mission, he'd had a bad feeling about it. This feeling had only intensified when they hadn't returned safely after a few days without further explanation. When a week had past after team Natsu had left, he'd finally had enough and send out a search party. Some might have said sending Mira and Gildarts, as well as Wendy, had been overkill, but he'd wanted to make sure to get his kids back home safely.

And now this.

If Erza and Gray hadn't killed that monster, he'd surely done so himself. Officially, none of that had ever happened of course and he certainly didn't plan on letting the council know about Natsu. Those fools would certainly try keeping his boy as some sort of test subject of decided to have him killed or imprisoned in case he was dangerous.

And speaking of that… As long as he wasn't a hundred percent sure that the Dragon Slayer was mentally fit to carry out missions, he wouldn't let him out of his sight. And even if he was, Makarov had yet to lay eyes on the new form of the teen. If it was too obvious that something wasn't right with him, he couldn't let Natsu handle clients. They'd either get scared, or try to keep him as some kind of exotic pet.

The loud sound of bells ringing pulled him out of those dark thought. The way it sounded, the city was undergoing one of her Gildarts changes.

Finally. This definitely meant they were back. He would do whatever it took to make sure the young Dragon would get through this as smoothly as possible. They were family after all and family never gave up on one of their own. Natsu would be fine. Dragon or not, he would make sure of that.

About fifteen minutes later, the double doors finally opened, revealing the long awaited group.

The first one to enter were Gildarts and Erza. Both of them looked dead serious. Next were Lucy and Wendy who, despite the situation, just seemed happy to be back home. After them, Mira walked in, her usual sweet smile on her face while she waved at everyone. And lastly, Gray strode in, alongside a, completely wrapped up in Gildarts' ripped black cloak, person who he assumed to be Natsu. The ice mage had a look on his face that clearly dared anyone to say anything, making it perfectly clear that he wasn't in the mood for answering any of their many questions.

"Welcome home my children! I'm happy you've made it back to us safe and sound." Even if the words sounded hollow to his own ears, the old Master knew that they were necessary in order for them to ease up a little bit. "Can I trust that there hasn't been any more trouble on your way back?"

The scarlet haired knight nodded. "Yes Master, and thank you. It's good to be back home."

Everyone was watching them closely. Most of the guild seemed really interested in the still covered figure standing beside Gray, still as a statue.

This wasn't good. Crowding them like this surely wouldn't do the exhausted group any good, especially the still covered Natsu, who apparently had no intention on changing his attire for them at all.

He was sure they had gone through quite an ordeal. He really didn't need to make it any harder for them by having them tell him all the details in front of everyone.

"Well my children, why don't you come up to my office so we can talk? I think there are a few things we need to discuss in private for now."

Gratefully, they nodded and followed him upstairs. Once inside, he closed the door behind them and enchanted the worn wood against eavesdroppers.

When he turned around, he could see a red scaled and clawed hand sneak out from under the dark piece of cloth, slowly working on removing the piece of clothing. A long tail the same color as the scales was now visible as well. Clawed feet dug through the soft carped and into the wooden floor underneath. With one final tug the last of the black fabric slid to the floor.

Of course, Gildarts had told him about this, but seeing it in real life was way different. If it hadn't been for the salmon colored head of hair, Makarov would almost not have recognized his child.

The Boy that stood in front of him grinned, revealing sharp fangs in the process as he unfolded his majestic wings slightly. "Yo Gramps, nice to see ya!"

Even his voice was different. Not much, but enough to be noticeable. And his eyes… One thing was fore sure. Natsu was definitely not human anymore.

Grinning now himself, he extended his hand. "Welcome home my boy, you look like you've got quite the tale to tell, don't you?"

The dragon-like teen carefully took the offered hand. "Yeah, it's good to be home."

It was painfully obvious just how nervous Natsu was. His tail was swaying slightly from side to side, his wings were rustling lightly and he seemed tense, almost as if he was ready to either attack or flee during the next second.

"I'm just happy I'm out of that cloak!"

Makarov could understand why. Natsu's new form certainly didn't seem to be suited for being hidden and/or restrained at all. Nodding in understanding, the old man mentioned for the group to sit down on various chairs and the sofa he kept in his office just for private conversation like this.

"Well then, why don't you start from the top and tell me everything that happened since you went out to handle that request in Hargeon? And don't worry about the time, I've made sure no one will bother us for as long as this is going to take."

And so, they started talking. With each sentence he heard and with each terrible thing he was told about being done to his children in detail, he got more and more angry.

It took them more then an hour to fill him in on everything that had happened. He noticed Natsu keeping quiet for most of the time, only adding a comment or two here and there and keeping his explanation about what had happened with Igor to and absolute minimum. He didn't blame the boy. From what he'd gathered, it was quite impressive that he was still in his right mind after enduring all of that.

Once they were done with the report, everyone fell silent. What should he do now? He couldn't just let Natsu roam around Fiore alone like that, especially when there was a risk of him killing without hesitation if need be. Thank god the teen lived in a remote house in the forest. At least, he wouldn't be bothered by too many people out there.

First things first though. The Guild needed to know.

With a deep sigh, he looked at Natsu. "Listen my boy, I know this won't be easy, but I think it would be a good thing if the others downstairs at least knew what you look like right now. Don't you agree?"

"Wait Master, do you really think this is a good idea?" Secretly, he agreed with Erza, who looked at him worriedly. Even if he trusted his children, this still was no guarantee for none of them spilling any of this to the wrong people.

However, before he could say anything, Mira intervened. "I think Master's right Erza. Even if there is a risk involved, they are still our family. If we can't trust them, who can we trust at all?"

The two woman glared at each other for a few seconds, before Erza sighed and then preceded to nod. "I get your point. I just don't want to take any risks after everything that's already happened."

Gildarts nodded approvingly. "I don't think hiding the kid would do any good right now. They're all way to curios about all of this by now anyways. If we didn't tell them, they'd probably try to figure things out by themselves, only creating rumors and incomplete or false information like this. That said, I still think we should keep an eye out, just to be safe."

"B-but Erza-san, Gildarts-san, wouldn't it be best if we let Natsu decide this? I mean, he the one who's gonna be affected most, right?" The blue haired sky Dragon Slayer looked at them expectantly.

Makarov smiled to himself. His kids sure had grown strong. "Well said young lady. I wholeheartedly agree." Turning to Natsu he expected to see the boy following their conversation. To his surprise however, the teen didn't seem to have listened to them at all.

He was staring out the window and into the sky while watching the seagulls fly through the air, a longing look on his face.

"Natsu my boy, is something the matter?"

Slowly, flaming eyes turned into his direction. "Ahhm… Sorry Gramps, was there anything you needed?"

"Yes, we were just discussing how to precede from here on out. "

"What do you mean?"

"Well, do you want to tell the Guild about your … condition or do you want to keep it from them for now?"

The salmon head looked at him confused. "Why would I want to hide from them?" Was there uncertainty in his eyes? Maybe even something akin to fear?

"So, you want to show them then?"

"Y-yeah, of course!" He was definitely hesitating.

Taking a moment to collect himself, he got to his feet and mentioned for everyone to do the same. "Very well. Shall we go downstairs then?"

Nodding, they made their way outside, all anxious about what would happen next.

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Natsu wasn't sure what to make of all this. All this talking didn't make much sense to him. Was it really such a big deal for him to say he wanted to show everyone who and what he was now? Sure, he was scared about their reaction, or more like nervous, but they were still family, right?

It wouldn't be much fun if everyone thought of him as a monster after all. He needed to make sure to act as normal and human as he could.

Nervously, he chewed on his lover lip, while walking towards the staircase that would lead him to his entire family. Mira had promised that most of them would be okay with him like this, maybe not from the very start, but eventually, right? Now that he was this close to finding out, he wasn't so sure about that anymore.

Descending those steps was harder then he'd though, especially while trying to act normal. Every fiber of his being wanted to just spread his wings and fly away. His shoulders were itching, it had been too long since he'd had a chance to move those sensitive appendages.

Already during the conversation with Master, he'd been able to hear his guild mates downstairs speculate about him.

Earlier, when they had just been surrounded by nature, he hadn't quite understood how sharp his senses had become. Now however, inside a big city like Magnolia, he was overwhelmed by noises and scents off all variety and kind. Food, people, waste and animals had only been some of the scents he'd picked up. Even before they had even been remotely close to the guildhall, he had managed to make out the voices of his family. He could even tell there was a sailboat a few miles out on the open sea.

It was amazing. Sure, he'd need to get used to this level of awareness for a while, but he was sure it would be so worth it in the end.

Only a few steps left…

Taking a deep breath, he jumped down the last of them and there he was.

At first, the others didn't notice the new arrival, but then, one after the other started to notice him. Instead of saying or explaining anything, he just stood there and let them stare at him.

"N-natsu…?"

He could hear paws making their way towards him, even before he could make out the small blue form of his companion, who tentatively was walking in his direction.

"Natsu, is… is that r-really you?" Now, tears had started to gather in the felines wide and unbelieving eyes.

Kneeling down, he extended his hands towards the blue fur-ball. "Hey there buddy, missed me?"

"NATSU!" Like a small and furry hurricane, the blue Exeed jumped into his companions arms, as tears flew out of his eyes. "Natsuuu! I was so worried! And what happened to you?"

For a minute or two, he only concentrated on Happy, not caring about anything else. To have his long time friend reject him would have been the worst thing that could have happened to him.

"Hey, it's okay, I'm back home now." Scratching his cat's ears, he picked Happy up and took care to keep a firm, but gentle hold on his friend.

When he looked around, he noticed that now, everyone had gathered around them. Some were simply looking on with mild interest, others stood and stared at him slack jawed and… yeah, some looked actually scared. However, those thankfully were only few in number.

"So uhh.. yeah. Hey guys, I'm back!"

From this point on, the tension seemed to disperse at least a little bit. The people he'd grown up with started asking questions and seemed genuinely interested. Lisanna, Cana, the thunder legion and even Gajeel were among those people. Levy of course was all over this and asked him again and again to describe the magic circle in as much detail as possible to her.

He was happy. There was nothing else he could say to that. His closest friends had apparently accepted him. Of course, they didn't know everything yet, but they would with time.

However, all of this didn't make him overlook the fact that some people were keeping their distance. Mostly, it were people he didn't really have much to do with anyways, so he could deal with that.

Somewhere behind him, he could hear Gramps sighing relieved. Apparently the old man had been quite worried.

All the good atmosphere and the smiling faces were sure relaxing and caused him to let his guard down. Big Mistake.

A sudden sharp pain shot up from the tip of his tail through his spine. He felt as if someone had just tried to cut the appendage off or something like that.

Blindly, he violently pulled his poor tail free while growling fiercely and blindly lunged at whatever despicable son of a bitch had just dared to step on part of his body.

He could hear screams all around him, someone even tried to pull him away from the person trapped underneath him. At this point, Natsu didn't even care who it was anymore.

He could feel his sharp claws drawing blood as they dug into his prey's soft skin. The person groaned and tried to get away, bet he wouldn't let them. With a warning growl from deep within his chest, he positioned his fangs close to the other person's throat. Whoever it was went completely slack immediately, apparently sensing the danger their life was in right now.

Suddenly, he could feel something cold and sharp between his shoulder blades. This managed to draw his attention elsewhere for a moment.

"Natsu! Stop this, you're hurting him!"

That voice… he knew it, didn't he? Turning his head carefully, he saw a familiar head of crimson hair and a lance that was delicately resting its tip on his back, ready to strike if need be.

"Let him go."

Why should he? Didn't she see what just happened? It was his right to punish whoever assaulted him or his family!

Another voice, a soft one this time, rang out to his other side.

"Please Natsu, let my brother go, okay? I'm sure he didn't mean it!" He knew that scent… They had spend a lot of time together and he knew she'd never hurt or deceive him on purpose.

With one last warning hiss, he retreated from the still figure on the floor that he now recognized as Elfman.

He could almost feel the relief come in waves off of everyone as they called back the magic they had held at the ready, just in case. Only Erza didn't put away her lance. She continued to eye him warily.

Why was everyone acting like this? That brute had been the one to disrespect and mistreat him damn it!

Lisanna, who'd just knelt down beside her brother, released a sigh of relief.

"Okay everyone, you can calm down now, he isn't hurt! I think my big bro just got a little bit scared, that's all." The fake cheerfulness didn't escape anyone in the room. However, despite that, it helped.

"Oh MAN; I thought I was a goner!"

"Oh come on Elf-nii, it wasn't that bad now, was it?"

"Easy for you to say!"

Most had backed up for the time being. Natsu didn't mind. He was getting tired of everyone staring at him like he was some kind of zoo animal anyways. With a hiss, he slowly got back up to his feet.

Turning to Elfman, he looked the other in the eye. "Sorry man, didn't mean that. You just took me by surprise there."

The huge male still was pale and had sweat beading on his face. "O-okay, but I really don't want to see you pissed off for real bro."

He actually didn't really feel like apologizing since it hadn't been his fault in the first place, but he understood that this had been necessary. Everyone was on edge as it was, so trying to save the situation and acting like any human would, was certainly the easiest and fastest way to resolve this.

"Okay brats, that's quite enough now!" Great, Gramps had decided to step in. "Everyone, go back to what you were doing earlier. Erza, put that lance away. And Lisanna, take your brother to the infirmary and make sure he's okay. And Natsu…" Now, the old man looked directly at him… "I think it would be best for you to take the rest of today off and go rest at home. We'll talk about this tomorrow."

A chorus of "Yes Master" could be heard throughout the guildhall as everyone went back to their normal everyday activities.

Taking a calming breath, he looked at Happy, who had become rather silent. "Wanna head home buddy?"

The Exeed nodded and the two of them started to walk towards the exit. Just as they had reached it however, Master's voice rang out once again.

"Oh, and Natsu? Make sure not to draw too much attention towards yourself out there, okay?"

Only waving in response, he and Happy finally left the building.

"Hey, Natsu?"

"Yeah, what's up?"

His companion looked as if he was fighting with himself over something. "You… you don't only look different, do you?"

Of course his friend had noticed. Sure, it would be a miracle if there was anyone who hadn't, but he'd still hoped Happy wouldn't question it, at least for now.

"Yup, you're right buddy, but don't worry, I'm still myself. I only react differently in some situations, that's all, promise."

"You really sure?" The hope shining in those huge eyes was almost too much for him.

"Of course, don't you worry."

They continued to walk in silence for another minute.

"Say, Natsu?"

"Hm?"

"Are those things on your back just for show or why are we walking right now?"

"Wanna bet who'll be home first?"

"Aye!"

Grinning broadly, he spread his wings, just as the blue Exeed was doing the same. "Ready?"

"You bet I am!"

"Okay, then let's go!"

And just like that, they took off towards the clear blue sky.

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**Okay then, another one done.**

**Please leave a comment and let me know what you think.**

**See you guys next time!**

**nahesa**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey there!**

**Sorry this chapter took so long, to be quite honest, I'm struggling a bit with this story right now. **

**Chapter ten:**

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It was nice and quiet in his house. Natsu really appreciated the fact, he'd chosen to live outside of Magnolia back when he'd joined the guild. The city had seemed way to loud and hectic for him back then, and with all his lately aquired, enhanced senses, this had only worsened.

Out here, he could only make out the sounds of nature. Rustling leaves, rushing water and the occasional shriek of a bird, that was all. No humans, carts, music or anything else that could irritate his sensitive ears.

Also, there was the smell. The odor of sweat, waste and rotten food had almost made him gag when he'd gotten to the city earlier today. Flying off with Happy the way he had had surely attracted some attention, but he didn't mind that at all. It would be best if they all just accepted things how they were now better sooner then later, because he didn't have any intention of changing back at all. Not that he knew how to do that of course anyways.

He just hoped Gramps and the others wouldn't try to find a spell that would rob him of his current form. He knew they were all still a little uncomfortable with him like this, especially after what had happened with Elfman earlier, and he was actually regretting overreacting like that, but he couldn't change what happened, could he?

He'd just apologize to the man tomorrow. Until then though, he'd have to face another dilemma.

With the way his body was now, he couldn't leave his house the way it was. He wouldn't be able to sleep in his hammock anymore due to his huge wings.

"Natsu?" His little blue companion looked at him a little bit lost. "What are we going to do mow?"

"Hmmm, first of all, I think I would like to go grab something to eat."

"Aye! Would you like to go fishing?"

Fish sure sounded nice, so he nodded. He would take care of the house later. Also, making Happy happy was something, he enjoyed no matter what. The Exceed seemed a bit insecure right now, and calming him down and lifting his spirits a bit sounded good.

Quietly, they made their way towards their usual fishing pond. Happy seemed relieved. Doing this, for them, completely normal activity was relaxing to the both of them. Right now, they were just Natsu and Happy, heading out for some dinner, completely forgetting everything that had happened during the last week.

When the sun started to set, they had managed to catch enough for now. Warily, Happy eyed his part of their catch.

"You're not going to roast mine, got it Natsu?!"

The half dragon only cocked his head to one side. "Why would I want to roast them?"

The blue Exeed looked at him wide eyed. "But… but you always…"

He only shook his head. "Don't worry, I won't ever do that again. They taste better raw anyways."

"Aye, that's what I told ya all along!"

Grinning, they both dug in to their meal, unaware that someone was watching them from behind a tree about a hundred meters away.

It had been silent for quite some time now. Happy had fallen asleep, curled up on his side, just like a real cat. Natsu smiled and lightly scratched his friends ears, all while being mindful of his sharp claws. He didn't want to hurt his friend after all.

It was so peaceful out here. No one was judging him, no one was staring. It was only the two of them, just like old times. The only difference was, that Lisanna wasn't with them.

Since the albino had gotten back home from Edolas, she'd spend less and less time with the two of them. On the outside, Natsu had of course acted as if it didn't bother him. After all, Mira and Elfman had missed her probably even more then he had. But on the inside, he really didn't understand, why she was distancing herself from him.

Thinking about her… made him angry somehow. How dare she just leave?

He wasn't sure if this were his dragon instincts talking or, if he'd secretly felt like this all the time. Shaking his head, he decided to concentrate on the quiet fores around him again. Happy's soft purring soothed his nerves and the warm breeze on his skin relaxed his muscles. He really didn't feel like sleeping though.

He was completely contempt with watching the sun set and feeling his friend beside him. Time passed and before he knew it, evening had become night. The moon had already climbed high into the sky, bathing everything in it's soft, silver light.

He could make out every leave, every single plant. Not for the first time, he felt a sort of awareness, that he'd only come to know since his transformation. From his current position, his combined senses covered everything surrounding them.

How much he would love to fly…

Just fly straight into the moon light, until his wings couldn't carry him any longer. He yearned for a chance to really test out his limits. How far could he fly? How strong had his magic become? Of course, Master wouldn't simply allow him to try this out. He'd smelled the old man's doubt clearly earlier.

It wasn't that Gramps didn't trust him anymore, no, that really wasn't it. It was more like… he didn't really know what to do with him, what he was capable of, or if he was still completely trustworthy.

Balling his fists, he did his best to suppress a quiet growl. Would Master try to keep him from going out on jobs from now on?

Of course, Natsu could understand the position Master was in, but still… To keep him confined to the guild like that really wouldn't help. Natsu was sure he'd lose his mind eventually if he wouldn't be allowed to leave anymore. Not to mention his finances. How was he supposed to afford anything he might need if he wasn't allowed to work?

Sure, he could hunt for food, but there were still things he and Happy would need eventually. Had Gramps thought about that?

One thing was for sure. Once morning came, he would have to have a serious conversation with the old man.

Yawning widely, he curled up around his furry friend. Even if he didn't feel like it, he knew his body still needed rest. He hadn't completely recovered from his ordeal yet after all.

He carefully wrapped his tale around Happy in order to keep him warm and comfy. After covering them with his wings, he closed his flaming eyes and tried his best to drift off to sleep.

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Back at the Guild, Gildarts was looking at the retreating back of the Dragon Slayer, that had almost become a son to him over the years. Just when he was about to say something, the boy and the cat both spread their wings and flew off.

So much for keeping a low profile.

Sighing, he turned towards the Master. "So then, Master. What do you make of all this?"

The old man only shook his head. "I have no idea how this is going to play out in the end."

Gildarts had feared as much. Of course, it was understandable to be worried after the incident just now. Natsu had attacked a fellow guild mate without hesitation. Sure, the kid hadn't hurt Elfman, but the fact remained that he had surely done so, hadn't it been for Erza holding him back.

"Yeah, I think we'll have to come up with a proper way of handling him. It won't be possible to keep him here if there is always a risk of someone getting hurt. Not to mention sending him on jobs…" Now, Gildarts understood why people with children tended to get gray very early on.

"Only time will tell. Maybe he just needs some time to settle in after everything." It sounded more like a wish then anything else. It was clearly visible, that their master was fighting an internal battle. Obviously, he didn't want to kick Natsu out or keep him chained to the guildhall. On the other hand though, there was no way things could just go on like before.

"Don't worry too much Master, It's not good for your health. We'll figure this out just like we always do. We're family after all."

Silently, they watched the other members of fairy Tail. Once the sun started to set, most had left for the day. Just when they were about to call it a day, the doors opened, revealing an old, pink haired lady wearing a dark red cloak.

"Ah, there you are Makarov."

"Purlyusaka, To what do we owe the pleasure?"

She sighed forcefully. "Don't take me for a fool. I just went to see what you brought back from that so called rescue mission. I think there are a few things we need to discuss concerning that." Her strict expression didn't leave much room for argument. "I want to know everything that has happened."

"Why, do you think you could help him?"

Sadly, she shook her head. "No. From what I saw just now, there is no way to turn him back into a human. The changes that were made are way to complex to revert again. Honestly, I'm surprised he survived this transformation in the first place."

Defeated, they explained the situation to her as detailed as possible. The old healer silently listened, a frown on her face.

After they had finished, she only nodded. "I see. I observed him for a bit earlier and what I saw matches what you told me just now. His changes aren't purely physical, that much is certain. I would very much like to take a closer look at him if possible. I need to make sure that brat won't suffer any secondary effects from all this."

"What do you mean?!" Gildarts couldn't quite hide the fear in his voice. Hadn't the kid suffered enough already?

"Oh come on, do you really believe something like this won't leave any traces? Most people wouldn't even have survived an ordeal like this in the first place! I would be highly surprised if I won't find anything wrong with him."

Turning on her heel, she started walking towards the door. Once she had opened it and was on her way out, she turned around again. "I'll come by tomorrow at noon. Make sure the brat's here by then." Without another word, she slammed the door shut behind her, leaving a Stunned mage and a worried Master behind.

"So uhhm, what exactly just happened?"

Makarov only sighed and looked at Gildarts, who was staring at the closed door as if it could start attacking at any second.

"Well, it seems as if this is going to be even more difficult the I initially thought."

Even if he was Fairy Tail's strongest, right now Gildarts felt as weak and helpless as a newborn, unable to do anything to help the kid he'd come to adore like he was his own flesh and blood.

Before he'd been informed about Cana's heritage, he'd never even dreamed about having any kids, but now that he knew how it felt like to be an actual father, he was certain, that Natsu was just as much his child, as Cana was.

"Don't worry Master, we'll get him through this, even if it's going to be difficult."

He could see a contempt smile on the old man's face.

"Of course my boy, after all, family never abandons it's own."

There it was. No one needed to say anything else to that. Natsu was part of their dysfunctional family, and nothing, not even a dragon obsessed madman would ever be able to change that.

He and Master continued to sit at the bar, watching their comrades milling around for a little more time until everyone started clearing out one after the other until finally, it was only the two of them left.

"I think I should start heading home now as well, tomorrow is going to be pretty exhausting."

Master only nodded in response and Gildarts got up from his previous position on one of the bar stools and started walking towards the exit.

"Gildarts?"

Surprised, he turned around and looked at the lonely old man behind him. "What is it Master?"

"I want you here for this tomorrow, got it? I've yet to determine Natsu's current strength and state of mind completely. I just don't want anyone getting hurt in case he reacts badly to the examination."

Of course, Fairy Tail's strongest understood his master's demand very well. Having witnessed Natsu attacking Elfman earlier had made it quite clear to everyone that things could start getting out of and with the kid pretty fast if they were not careful. "Of course Sir, I'll be there."

With those parting words, he finally stepped out into the warm night, sighing. He wasn't used to so much worry and to feeling as insecure as he did right now. What Master had asked of him wasn't only to be there for Natsu. That much was clear. Even if he and the young Dragon Slayer were pretty close and any other person would maybe have thought that he was supposed to offer emotional support, they would be wrong. What Master had asked of him was simply to make sure the kid didn't accidentally injure or kill any of his guild mates, and if need be, Gildarts was supposed to use force in order to defend them and to stop Natsu.

But how was he supposed to do that? Buried under all those scales, horns and teeth was still the Natsu he'd watched grow up, he was sure of it! He just knew, he couldn't bring himself to hurt Natsu for real, especially not after everything his young friend had gone through recently.

On the other hand, he couldn't allow anyone else to be hurt just because he had a soft spot for the salmon haired teen. He just wished Master would have given this particular task to anybody else. Laxus surely wouldn't have had a problem with it, and as the Master's grandson, he would certainly be powerful enough to manage the job, right? Also, the blond would probably have no problem when it came to fighting Natsu for real. As far as he knew, flame and lightening had duked it out once already, so why don't simply have them do it again?

Groaning, he shook his head. Technically, Natsu had won the fight back then and there was no telling, how strong the boy was now, not to mention that he didn't seem to have any problem with right out killing people if he had to. They couldn't risk something like this happening. If Natsu really were to kill one of their own, he would be beyond saving. There would be no way for them to hide his current state from the Magic Council anymore either.

Having him be the one to fight the brat in case anything went wrong really might be the smartest thing for them to do if they really intended avoiding any of those horrible things happening.

As a member of Fairy Tail, it was his most sacret duty to ensure the safety of all the members of their crazy family. He would definitely try his best not to hurt the kid, but that was the only thing he could promise. If things got out of hand too much, he wouldn't have a choice but to get serious.

**################################################################################**

Some time during the night, Natsu had noticed Happy starting to shiver slightly. After picking the little blue cat up, he'd brought him home.

Now, the sun's first rays were starting to shine through the windows of their shared house.

In order not to wake his friend, the dragon slayer choose to exit the building as quiet as possible to move and fly around a bit. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something had seemed off last night. He was sure, Happy hadn't noticed anything, but the presence of another person had been quite obvious from his point of view.

Shaking his head, he spread his wings and took off towards the forest. The faint rustling of leaves and the sound of the area's other occupants starting their day filled the air around him. Inhaling deeply, he let the earthy smell of the forest flow through his nose. This had never failed to relax him. Even after Igneel had left all those years ago, the forest had been the only place, he'd managed to feel some semblance of peace.

He couldn't remember living with humans before he'd met Igneel, The red fire dragon had always been the only family he needed. After meeting the Guild, this had changes somewhat. Sure, it had taken quite some time and effort to learn how to fit in with humans, but it had payed off eventually.

They had become his new family, his new safe place to be… And now, Igor had taken this away as well.

Everything that had happened the day before had made it quite clear to the young dragon that he'd either have to start all over again, or leave.

Natsu was well aware of the fact that he didn't really fit in with them anymore. After returning, he'd smelled their fear and confusion, had seen the weariness in their eyes and had heard them whisper and abruptly shut up whenever he came near any of them.

The little incident with Elfman had just been the last piece of evidence he'd needed in order to know that this wasn't his home anymore. Hus guild mates had beef scared of him.

They'd not only been careful or a little bit frightened or surprised, they had literally and honestly been scared of him.

If he was honest with himself, he had to admit that leaving them all behind scared him. He'd lost everything once already. Would he be able to live through that again? Shaking his head, he growled angrily. It wasn't their fault. A few weeks ago, he might have reacted similar to them, if he'd seen one of his family members act like he had yesterday.

At first, he hadn't understood what Igor had meant by saying there wouldn't be a place for him like this. Not now, not ever. He was neither human, nor dragon. There was no place for him anywhere any longer. Maybe it would be for the best if he just left. Now, he understood those dark and hateful words perfectly.

All of his senses, his instincts and every fiber of his being told him to just continue flying. It wasn't the first time he'd felt like this. On their way back to Magnolia, he'd almost given in to this feeling once already. And now, the need to just continue flying had become even stronger.

But could he really do that? Simply leave without saying anything to anyone? Happy would surely be sad. His companion had once before lost one of his parental figures. Thankfully, Lisanna had returned, but the memories of her death were surely still haunting the Exceed just as much as they haunted him to this day.

But Happy wasn't a kitten anymore. He had other people to care for him now and would surely be able to simply keep on living, maybe even go back to his own kind and start a new life there. Or he would simply stay close to Lily and Carla…

His friend would be fine. Maybe even better off without him. Staying together would only mean loneliness for his best friend. He didn't want that for his companion.

Natsu wasn't completely sure he'd be able to control his instincts completely just yet. Attacking Elfman had felt like the right thing to do at the moment. Honestly, he felt as if he'd held back quite a bit that time. He hadn't even injured the man, so why did everyone freak out like that?

He could feel his instincts kicking in again. It had been his good right to defend himself, right? Growling, he sped up the movement of his wings. The cool wind was doing wonders for his confused state of mind. Breathing in deeply, he closed his eyes and simply let the wind carry him for a few minutes.

Yes, Happy would be sad, maybe Lisanna as well, but still, for everyone else it would be the best if he simply left. Looking at his shoulder sadly, he sighed. Where his guild mark had once been, were now only bright red scales. Officially, he wasn't a member right now anyways, so he could go and do whatever he wanted.

Tearing his eyes away from the spot, he looked ahead. He hadn't noticed how for he'd flown already. He'd left the forest far behind and was now right in front of a group of mountains, As a guild mage, he'd seen a lot of different places in Fiore already, but he'd almost never left the country. There was so much he still needed to see and do. And with his new found mobility and abilities, it would be a lot more easy and fun to get from one place to the other.

How long would he be able to fly before needing a break? How powerful were his flames at this point? This were all things, he couldn't figure out while living close to a big city. He wanted to go, find a place that felt more like home, something a bit more familiar…

Back with Igneel, he'd lived in a huge cave that was hidden by dense forests and high mountains. Never had any human managed to find this particular spot. It had been their very own sanctuary. It was the one place he'd ever, truly felt at home. The guild had only taken that cave's place because of the camaraderie and the connection between him and his friends. But if that connection was lost so easily, nothing was keeping him here any longer.

Sure, leaving would hurt at first, but he was sure he'd feel better once the first few days were over and he'd put some distance between himself and Magnolia. Maybe he'd even return someday, he wasn't sure about that quite yet.

Flapping his majestic wings a few more times rapidly, he gained even more altitude and speed and finally disappeared into the clouds and over the nearest mountaintop, unaware of the small blue creature starting to wake up miles away in an empty and cold house.

**################################################################################**

When Erza entered the guild hall the next morning, she knew that something was up. Master looked quite tense and Gildarts was here already. Usually, their strongest wouldn't show up before midday. Also, the two of them seemed quite tense.

Maybe they'd fought?

Shaking her head, she dismissed that idea. Both men weren't ones to pick fights like that.

"Good morning Master." Bowing slightly, she halted in front of them. "Is everything alright?"

Master nodded, a forced smile on his lips. "Good morning my dear, yes, everything's as well as can be, don't worry."

"You sure master? You seem tense."

Sighing, the old man nodded. "Well, we're just a bit worried about our dear Natsu. Last night, Purlyusaca was here and told us she'd like to examine him today."

"What for?" Of course, she had a pretty good idea why, but letting the master clarify this for her couldn't hurt.

"Well, she told me she'd observed him yesterday and wanted to make sure, he'll suffer no ill effects from everything that's happened."

"I see. And you're worried about how he'll react, looking at what happened yesterday with Elfman, right?"

The old man simply nodded without another word, then went back to darkly staring at the entrance.

Erza decided to join him in his efforts and sat down next to him. Natsu was like a younger brother to her after all. Knowing if he was okay was very important to her as well.

They sat in silence and watched people come and go, return from jobs, leave for work or simply enjoying a nice meal together or alone. All things considered, it was a fairly normal day and if one didn't look to close, the dark look on everybody's faces could easily be missed.

Still though, the atmosphere was tense and everyone seemed on edge. The red haired knight couldn't blame them. After the stunt her teammate had pulled yesterday, people were bound to be anxious. She was very happy, they didn't know about the bandits Natsu had basically slaughtered an their way back.

Just as she was about to head to the bar to get a piece of cake after waiting for a couple of hours, the front door flew open, revealing a hectic little blue fur ball.

"Someone, HELP! Please!" Happy sounded absolutely desperate.

Sprinting over to him, She noticed the tears in his eyes and a few leaves and some dirt tangled into his fur. She could hear feet running behind her. By the sound of it, Gray and Lucy. However, those two weren't the ones to reach him first.

Before Erza was even anywhere near Happy, Lisanna had knelt down in front of him and was kindly patting his head, speaking soothingly in order to calm him down.

After a few minutes of crying and a stuttered explanation no one was able to understand, the Exceed finally calmed down.

When his breathing had evened out a bit, Erza finally knelt down next to Lisanna. "So Happy, why don't you tell me, what exactly happened?"

"I… I don't know, when I woke up, he was gone!"

"Who was Happy,?" Dread filled her chest and she really hoped she was wrong about this.

"NATSU! I've tried looking for him, but I couldn't find him."

Damn it, why hadn't they sent anyone to keep Natsu company? It had been completely reckless to have no one there to make sure everything was fine!

"Okay, why don't you start from the beginning? What exactly happened?"

After sniffling loudly, Happy nodded and started talking, his voice quiet and trembling slightly. "W-we were out fishing yesterday evening and after eating, I fell asleep. When I woke up in the morning, I was in our house and in my bed, although I can't remember how I got there. I wanted to go and make some breakfast, but when I wanted to wake Natsu, he… he was g-gone…"

That really didn't sound good at all. "What did you do then?"

"I went into the forest to look for him of course! But… I couldn't find him."

The pure desperation in those wide and scared eyes was almost to much to bare. Of course Erza was aware of the deep connection between Natsu and Happy, and for the boy to simply leave without telling his buddy about it surely was strange.

"Are you sure he didn't just go for a walk?"

"N-no, It's just… after everything that's happened…"

Nodding, she got back to her feet. "I understand."

Turning around, she looked at the Master. The old man had the same worried look on his face, she was sure to have herself by now. But to her surprise, he shook his head. "As long as we don't know if something happened or if he simply is taking a long walk, we can't do anything but keep our eyes open."

Sadly, she had to agree with the Master. If Natsu hadn't turned up again in a day or two, she'd start worrying, but until then, she'd just assume he needed some time to himself.

"B-but Master…"

"Listen Happy, I know this is hard, but for Natsu, a lot has changed. Don't you think it would be best to allow him some time to work through this by himself?"

Tail hanging low and head bowed, the blue cat simply nodded before curling up next to Lisanna, who'd remained silent until now, only whispering comforting words to her adopted son every once in a while.

Erza hadn't noticed how much time had passed since she'd gotten here this morning. But when the door slammed open, revealing one pink haired old woman, she remembered what had been supposed to happen today.

"So Makarov, where's the brat?"

**################################################################################**

So then, another one done!

Please tell me what you think or maybe what you want to happen next.

See you guys next time!

nahesa


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